Gambling, once limited to sports betting and casino games, has now evolved to encompass a unique array of markets. The emergence of these novel betting options is bound to pique your curiosity. If you look at the trending gambling news it's not just the usual suspects who take center stage, so let's see which "unusual" markets are gathering momentum just now.
Political Wagers
Any major political event, like a general election or referendum in a major nation, can often be a market on contemporary betting sites. In 2024, there was a scandal that members of the Conservative Party were betting on their party to lose in the general election. They want to lose dramatically.
As such, Rishi Sunak decided to step down as the party leader. This, in turn, created a new market for British political bettors to take their chances on, as the Conservative party must now elect a new leader—prompting many betting sites to host the market.
With the US election coming up and dominating the general news cycle, it's only natural that any major market shifts catch the eye in the gambling news world as well.
Professional Wrestling Results
Wrestling promotions will always be somewhere between sports and entertainment. It has a lot of physicality, but the outcome is pre-determined. As such, some bettors take Umbridge with it being considered a sport. However, some betting sites treat it just like any other sport—with a full selection of markets for each match result available to wager.
Reality TV and Competition Results
Reality television can still be prevalent in some markets. Shows like Big Brother and X Factor have been known to engulf nations with extensive interest. This type of show often has a set winner at the end, who wins some novelty title or a cash prize. However, it’s not only the contestants who can emerge as winners, as bettors who predict their triumph can also experience a cash injection. It is commonplace on betting sites to see markets for TV shows like Love Island, Argentinian Big Brother, etc.
At present (mid-July 2024), major British betting sites are hosting markets on the winner of the Italian X Factor, the gender of the winner from the forthcoming Strictly Come Dancing, and the length of specific bullfights in San Fermin, Spain.
Public Appearance Aesthetics
You can now bet on how people will present themselves for major events. When Lionel Messi announced that he would join Inter Miami (the Major League Soccer club owned by David Beckham), multiple sites bet on how Messi and Beckham would look at the official press conference.
Markets like whether they’d both have beards, whether they’d be wearing Inter Miami shirts or full suits suddenly became available. While such markets are uncommon, they have become more apparent, especially around fashion events, where punters can gamble on what types of clothing designers/models will be showcasing.
Existence of Alien Life
Science and gambling rarely cross paths. Well, maybe in laboratories, where scientists make trivial wagers on the results of their next experiment. However, in the mainstream, there is little crossover. When NASA does, however, make groundbreaking discoveries, it heightens the interest in scientific theories about our solar system.
Is there life elsewhere? Other than Earth? Some non-scientists believe they have the correct answer to those questions and wager on it with betting sites. The existence of alien life has become a relatively common ‘other market’ which fluctuates in value whenever discoveries are made.
It’s a relatively hard market to see a return on, as the bettors are waiting for NASA to confirm the existence of alien life or for them to explore every grain of space to comprehensively say: ‘no, just Earth where lifeforms exist’, neither of which are likely to be verified anytime soon.
British No.1 Single Over Christmas
British music might not rule the totality of audio channels as it used to; however, in the UK, there is still a very sacred achievement that any British musician wants to achieve. To have the No.1 Best-Selling single on Christmas Day. The weekly sales encompassing the period over the 25th of December make up the ‘Christmas No.1’.
It has become a competitive sport in music, and betting sites often take bets on who the artist will be. Selections like Rage Against the Machine, Cliff Richard, and the Pogues are usually touted as having achieved this accolade in prior years. However, this market can be somewhat dry as LadBaby, the blogger, has often monopolized it having won it every year between 2018 and 2022.
