Sports betting has enjoyed a rapid expansion in the United States over the past year, with eight states now taking part in a legalized market. WWE has enjoyed a similarly lucrative year, with a pair of television deals worth over $2 billion over the next five years.
You wouldn't expect those two enterprises to overlap in any way, no matter how often WWE seeks an air of legitimacy in leaning toward the sports side of sports entertainment. In reality, however, there are ways to wager on the outcome of WWE matches -- and no one event in the world of WWE is capable of catering to the world of betting props than the Royal Rumble, which takes place on Sunday.
These bets aren't something you'll see offered at an American sportsbook anytime soon, due to strict regulation of what can and can't be wagered upon, but a variety of offshore books and European sportsbooks have been offering odds on WWE match outcomes for the better part of the last decade. Despite the scripted nature of the WWE, the ability to change outcomes up until wrestlers walk out to the ring (and sometimes even later) gives betting on WWE a different feel than anything else that might fall under an entertainment bet.
My name is Graeme and I’m just a guy who bets sports professionally, and have been providing betting tips for the WWE on various websites since Wrestlemania 26. I cover any and all wrestling betting – not just WWE. This includes AEW, NXT and NJPW. This is a fan-made website, not affiliated with the WWE in any way. Digital technology is a wonderful thing. We take our smartphones and tablets with us everywhere. That means mobile WWE betting exists at your fingertips. If you have an Apple or Android digital device, then chances are the betting site you use has an app. WWE TV Specials betting odds, results and more from William Hill, the online bookmaker. Everything you need to bet on WWE.
It still doesn't change the fact that one or a few people are dictating the outcomes of every match.
'Everyone always asks me, 'How can you put up odds on something that's predetermined?' said Adam Burns, sportsbook manager for BetOnline.ag. 'And it comes down to this: There's not huge limits. You can't bet $10,000 on who's gonna win it, but you can bet a couple hundred bucks, have some fun with it. It's more for us to get people engaged.'
Wwe Betting Sites Games
Shopping around from WWE betting site to WWE betting site in order to find the most profitable odds is a must-have skill for any and all WWE bettors. Sports Betting Sites Find the best sports betting sites to place your wagers at online. How WWE Betting Sites Protect Themselves. WWE betting is only possible because betting sites are not losing tons of money offering it. If the ever comes where online bookmakers find themselves being eaten alive by savvy bettors, all they’ll do is stop taking odds on pro wrestling and that will be that.
Offshore books like BetOnline and Bovada are leading the way in terms of betting options for the 2019 Royal Rumble. Those with interest can bet on more than 50 different men to win the men's Royal Rumble match and more than 45 different women to win the women's Royal Rumble match -- but it goes deeper. Just as Super Bowl props have continued to expand over the years as they've garnered more attention, this year's offerings from those two sites and a variety of others include odds on longest time spent in the Royal Rumble, most eliminations and odds of making the final 4, among other wagers.
That brings up another interesting question, though: Who is actually setting these lines for the sportsbooks?
'I have a guy who is a die-hard WWE [fan] and he knows, he watches everything and he follows everything,' said Burns. 'He calculates it and puts it into percentages of what he thinks. He follows all the storylines and all the Twitter rumors. The fact is, we're comfortable doing that because it attracts some clients, people have fun with it. To be honest, we don't have inside information. We put it up just for people to get engaged, have fun -- and, well, the lines will move a lot.'
As for who's betting on WWE events, there's at least some crossover between the worlds of sports betting and wrestling enthusiasm. For example, an attorney from California who goes by @kaponofor3 on Twitter -- he would prefer not to reveal his name -- includes bets on WWE within his overall portfolio of betting action. He's been watching wrestling for more than three decades, and he's wagered on WWE action since at least 2011; his earliest recollection of finding odds listed was for WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta.
'I watch probably two to four hours of wrestling a week at present,' @kaponofor3 said. 'I have two young sons and one of them is pretty into it, but given the times of the weekly shows, we don't always watch them all. But we watch some recap shows and I try to catch weekly NXT shows -- but I will be watching all the major pay-per-views with them.'
That kind of knowledge and dedication, when translated to a traditional sport, would typically translate to a relatively strong understanding of the product and an edge when it comes to the betting market. When it comes to WWE, however, the nature of the betting and the markets offered aren't nearly enough to retire on.
What's more, if there's even a whiff of expertise -- or worse, inside knowledge -- you won't be able to cash in for long.
'Caps are usually very low -- maybe $100 tops, until you dust them once or twice,' @kaponofor3 said. 'Then it's either [you're] eliminated [from betting] or limited to like $5. I think the most I risked was $100 on a relatively small 'dog, but I could be wrong.'
As far as whether or not these types of bets could find their way into an American sports betting market as it expands and the stigma fades away, it make sense to turn toward the betting capital of the world -- Las Vegas -- to search for indicators. As you might expect, the chances are essentially slim-to-none.
'Nevada has a pretty strict line on what can and can't be offered to bettors, said Alan Berg, senior oddsmaker and trader at Caesars Entertainment. 'Up until a few years ago sportsbooks weren't allowed to book [bets on] Super Bowl MVP. I think the rule of thumb was if it isn't determined on the field and can be decided by opinion, it wouldn't be offered by sports books.'
A check-in with the Nevada Gaming Control Board backs up that level of pessimism. The market for what types of events can be wagered upon is expanding, albeit slowly, but will almost certainly never included scripted or predetermined events like the WWE. Outside of horse races, greyhound races and athletic events, there has been approval on events like the World Series of Poker, awards in a variety of sports including MVPs and the Heisman Trophy, draft outcomes in several sports and even a few esports and competitive video gaming bets approved, including League of Legends and the 2018 Golden Tee World Championship.
There has been some consideration of accepting wagers on elections, including some dialogue and discussion by Nevada state legislators in the past, but no bill has ever been passed. One need only look at the massive swings that the WWE betting market encounters on the day of a show to know that Vegas wouldn't want a whiff of WWE wagering.
Recalling a match from that WrestleMania 27 card, in which The Miz defeated John Cena with multiple interruptions from The Rock, @kaponofor3 said that particularly stuck out to him in terms of how finely an outcome can be parsed.
'It's more for entertainment value, but when there's value, there's value -- that's kind of how I see it,' said @kaponofor3. 'The Miz/Cena main event grading led 5dimes to do something I'd never seen before, offer two prices on the same match -- one for 'immediately after the bell rings' and the other was something like 'at the end of the show.'
What's crazier is the dramatic run of action on certain wrestlers once the predetermined outcome seems fairly clear.
'I remember when a match taking place at WrestleMania [32] had Zack Ryder at 20-1 to win an Intercontinental [championship] ladder match,' Berg said. 'He closed as the favorite at -2000 against six other opponents.'
Though some may credit rumors or hearsay, there's at least some evidence that points heavily toward a source with inside information leaking it to a few friends -- especially when the odds are long. From his perspective and experience, Burns largely dismisses that element of the WWE betting market.
'Especially the day of, you'll see massive swings in the odds and we're looking at how the money's coming in -- and also [see] if there's any rumors out there, or any spoilers or people on Twitter and stuff like that. Our guys are watching that all the time. But, believe it or not, a lot of times some of these rumors are all bulls--- and people buy into it and then the opposite happens.'
At the end of the day, all parties involved admit that the allure of being able to bet on the WWE is more about entertainment value than it is about striking it rich. For the players, it's about having some action on the result, trying to find a decent value, and if a win can be earned, the night's result can be a little bit sweeter.
'The swings [in the odds] can be massive,' @kaponofor3 said. 'Vince [McMahon] can always change his mind up to the last minute on the big stuff, so you never really know. I only bet [under]dogs exclusively where I could see the story of them winning. [I] also have to be cognizant that a DQ or countout is technically a win for the other side, which is sneaky and has to take storyline into consideration.'
From the sportsbooks' perspective, it's really about attracting new customers that would otherwise be unlikely to place a bet. It's not an act of charity, though. There are still sucker bets like there would be in any other game of chance or betting endeavor, although the limited wagering cap tends to limit the damage for those who like to put down action on some long shots.
'We'll throw in guys like Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, 'Stone Cold' [Steve Austin], because you never know. It's entertainment, right? So, they might just show up and be in it and you never, like you have no idea. I think we try to have some fun with that. And believe it or not, people will bet on those guys.
'We're gonna be wrong on some of these,' Burns continued. 'We're not going to be 100 percent correct in the order of the odds and all this stuff, but I'm pretty confident in my wrestling guy that he knows pretty much what he's doing.'
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While everyone knows that professional wrestling is pre-scripted, you can still place bets on the WWE and other major wrestling promotions. The process and the layout of the odds is as easy as can be if you know how to bet on MMA or how to bet on boxing, though the actual experience may feel more like you’re betting on pure entertainment.
How, exactly, does one bet on a WWE event? In this article, we’ll walk you through the following essential components, and you’ll be fully equipped to start betting on the WWE!
- Which WWE events you can bet on?
- Where to find online sportsbooks that cater to WWE bettors?
- How to read WWE odds and lines?
- Some rudimentary WWE betting strategy
1. Which WWE Events Can You Bet on?
While the WWE runs year-round, with weekly shows on both Monday night (RAW) and Tuesday night (Smackdown), sportsbooks don’t make every WWE show available to wager on, only the marquee pay-per-views.
It’s a safe bet (so to speak) that the majority of sportsbooks will post lines for the WWE’s “Big Four”: Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble, Summerslam, and Survivor Series.
The more minor PPVs—like Elimination Chamber, Fastlane, and TLC—may be available on certain sites, but don’t count on it.
WWE wagers are usually made available about three to four days in advance of the relevant event. So if you are keen to wager on professional wrestling, make sure you know when the big events are scheduled to take place.
The “Big Four” WWE events are as follows:
- Royal Rumble
- Wrestlemania
- Summerslam
- Survivor Series
The limited time-frame is understandable. Sportsbooks are a bit wary of allowing too much money to be placed on predetermined events, and the short betting window helps alleviate that issue. They also tend to cap the amount you can wager or the amount you can win on WWE bets, with payouts ordinarily capped at around $50 per bet.
Again, this limitation is pretty reasonable when you recall that, once upon a time, certain insiders and even actual WWE superstars were starting to bet on the match outcomes.
2. Where Can You Bet on the WWE?
Where does one go to bet on pro wrestling? Numerous online sportsbooks provide odds on the major WWE pay-per-views, including:
Unlike other combat sports like MMA, sportsbooks usually only provide odds and lines on which of the two combatants in a match will win (or, in the case of Royal Rumble, which of the 30 combatants will last to the bitter end).
You generally won’t see related prop bets like method of victory that you do in MMA and boxing, though it isn’t unheard of. For instance, some sites may offer a Royal Rumble prop on who will get thrown out of the ring first or who will eliminate the most wrestlers.
Wwe Betting Lines
From time to time, you may also see odds on celebrities—like Donald Trump or Lavar Ball—wrestling in the WWE, much like there are currently odds on whether Floyd Mayweather will fight in the UFC. These bets will be subject to certain time constraints, usually a calendar year.
3. How Do WWE Odds Work?
A typical WWE line will look something like this:
- Brock Lesnar (-500) vs. Braun Strowman (+300)
This line has Lesnar as the favorite at -500 (bet $500 to win $100) and Strowman as the underdog at +300 (win $300 on a $100 wager). Of course, you aren’t required to bet $500 on Lesnar or $100 on Strowman. You can wager whatever amount you please (subject to a sportsbooks’ rules) and the payout will be commensurate. Since a $100 wager on Strowman would earn you a $300 profit, a $50 wager would earn you a $150 profit.
As mentioned, betting sites usually cap maximum wagers on WWE events because they know the outcomes are predetermined and that bettors may have insider information. If a site has a $50 max-winnings limit on WWE bets, then, in the example above, the most you would be able to wager on Brock Lesnar would be $250, and the most you would be able to wager on Braun Strowman would be $16.66.
In reality, sportsbooks don’t use WWE wagers to make their money. They use them to attract people to their sites and to get new users to sign up, and they hope that WWE bettors will become regular and frequent sports bettors. For this reason, many people in the betting community regard WWE betting as an extension of light-hearted, entertainment prop betting, rather than something that requires close study and carefully applied strategy.
4. WWE Betting Strategy
Still, betting on the WWE is trickier than you might think. Just because the winners are predetermined doesn’t mean you will always get the most obvious results. The WWE creative team throws a few “swerves” in from time-to-time, and there are always toss-up matches that could go either way, plus matches that end in disqualification.
Like wagering on any sport, you can often find value in underdogs when it comes to WWE betting. However, as mentioned, most sportsbooks will cap potential winnings at a fairly low amount, usually in the $50 range these days to prevent WWE writers and superstars cashing in on their own storylines.
Wwe Odds
If you don’t follow professional wrestling too closely, it might be extremely difficult to know who to bet on and where the value might be in WWE lines.
The best strategy is to do your research. There are many websites (including ours) that analyze the odds and give predictions for each match. Most of the people who are in-the-know understand the inner workings of pro wrestling. It really comes down to an understanding of who the WWE likes and who they’re building to be big stars. WWE writers also tend to follow a very old-school philosophy of how to manage talent and create a story arc.
Wwe Betting Sites Against
But even the smartest and most educated prognosticators can get things wrong as there is often an element of surprise in the bigger matches, and that’s where you can find underdogs that have value. There just might be $50 in it for you.
What Are You Waiting For?
Still not sure about lines, odds, money lines, or some of the other fundamental aspects of sports betting? Check out our betting 101 guides, or guides for everything you need to know about how to bet on sports.