For a long time, betting on any scripted product seemed impossible because there would always be someone, even the writer himself, who created the script. However, it might not be as far as some people think. The recent acquisition of WWE by the UFC parent company Endeavor might help make betting on wrestling a reality.
WWE Makes Their Move
WWE is in talks with the state gambling regulations. Their goal is to legalize betting on matches in wrestling, which are in fact scripted in advance. It is known who will win, but not to the public. WWE have partnered up with the accounting firm EY to make the results of their matches as secure as possible so it might be able to convince the people behind the gambling regulations that there is no chance of any leaks of these results.
There are plenty of sports betting options out there that already capitalize on some big markets. Most of the sports are legal for betting including NFL, Soccer, Horse Racing, Golf, Tennis, Basketball, Rugby, Boxing, MMA, and even e-sports.
Issues With Betting on Wrestling
The first thing that comes to mind is that someone very close to the production process of the show might leak it to friends, family, or even online. Then it would be fraud and winning wouldn’t be fully on the side of luck or odds, but in favor of the person knowing the results.
The results of the match wouldn’t be known until the match itself with only a handful of people involved closely would actually know the result. For example, if there is a match between The Rock and Roman Reigns, only these two, the referee, the lead writer of the story, and the main booker of the show Paul Lavesque (Triple H) and/or Vince McMahon would know the results. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it makes it harder for the results to leak, especially if the final results are known only on the day or couple of hours before the scheduled match.
However, this creates another big problem which is running the creative. Exactly, because it is a scripted show there is room to make long-term plans for some wrestlers and superstars, and gambling out of WWE or wrestling in general might make the whole creative process exceedingly difficult.
You cannot consult the ideas with all the writers, or pitch stuff that might happen in the future, because if something gets approved a long time before the match, there is a higher risk of the results leaking out. It could create a huge problem, with the product itself being chaotic, boring and just plain stupid, without any long-term plans for your superstars.
The Other Side
Accounting firms like EY (also known as Ernst & Young) have worked in the past on similar deals to help award shows keep their winners a secret. Some of the most notable partnerships with the Academy Awards or the Emmys.
Furthermore, betting on Academy Awards and who will win an Oscar for which category is already legal in some of the biggest leaders in the betting business like DraftKings, who are also a sponsor of various wrestling shows like WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) or AEW (All Elite Wrestling). Most of the states in the US do not allow it just yet, but the wheels are in motion, and it is possible to bet on Academy Awards in some places. WWE is high on this fact and could use it as a leverage to make betting on wrestling possible and legal.
WWE Betting Market
WWE is aiming to expand on the gambling side and make betting possible in Michigan, Colorado and Indiana at the beginning. There are a few comments from the law side on the matter. In an interview with Sportico, Charlie McIntyre made these comments.
“I have a fear of accepting wagers on any event that is perceived to have an outcome that is not based upon performance but is based upon scripted or engineered efforts. It is very unlikely that New Hampshire would consider the WWE suitable content for sports betting.” ~ Charlie McIntyre, Executive Director of New Hampshire Lottery Commission
Whatever It Takes
If there is a deal to be made, and betting on sports like wrestling will become legal then there’s plenty of work to do, in order to make sure nothing leaks before, so it’s as fair as possible. Every result will need to be secured and unknown to as many people as possible. However, there needs to be a solution to the creative side of the business, so the storylines do not suffer at the cost of betting.
There are obviously two sides to the whole story, and it has its pros and cons. Everything is fine until it is exploited, so there needs to be a huge groundwork done before betting on wrestling goes into effect, but it is not as impossible as it once was. Considering that UFC has betting on their sports, Endeavor might be even more inclined to push betting on WWE after the acquisition, so it might be a matter of “when” and not “if”.
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