“American Idol” isn’t only a hit show. It’s also a hot online betting proposition.
Or maybe you’d rather lay money on which major member of “The Sopranos” cast will be first to get whacked this season.
There’s also that nasty, late-breaking sexual harassment suit filed against Maury Povich’s daytime talk show by one of its former producers. Care to wager on how Povich and his wife, Connie Chung, will handle it?
“Idol” is where most of the action is, though. Tim Williams of PlayersOnly.com, one of many Internet sites offering weekly odds, says the Fox juggernaut easily is “the single biggest non-sports betting event.”
“I live in amazement, just seeing where the country has gone in the last five years,” he says in a telephone interview. “From hardcore sports handicappers smoking cigars to people betting on `American Idol’ and `Survivor.’ At a minimum I’m sure we take as many wagers on `American Idol’ as we do on some baseball games. It’s phenomenal to have something like this even in the same league.”
PlayersOnly and rival betting sites such as Betmaker.com and pinnaclesports.com agree that Chris Daughtry is the prohibitive favorite among the five remaining contestants. They’re just as certain that Paris Bennett barely has a scant chance. Going into Tuesday’s latest performance show, here’s how the three of them stack things up:
PlayersOnly, which only offers action on the eventual Idol winner, has Daughtry as a 13-10 pick. In other words, for every $10 bet, you can win an additional $3. Bennett, the long shot, is listed at 20-1. That would be a tidy return of $19 for each buck wagered if she somehow sings her way to the top.
Betmaker lists Daughtry at 1.3-1 (a 30-cent return on the dollar) while Bennett is a 26-1 proposition. The site also takes action on which contestant will be eliminated next. Bennett is an extremely heavy “favorite” at 5-10. This means you have to wager a minimum of $10 to win just $5 besides not losing your 10-spot. Or you could blow a measly $1 on Chris Daughtry. The odds of him being voted off are 20-1.
Pinnaclesports is on the same page regarding Daughtry and Bennett. But the site also offers an array of other wagering options. There’s even an “Idol Exacta” that lets betters pick the top two finishers in order. A combo of Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee is listed at +259, which means you have to risk $100 to win $259. Paris Bennett and Elliot Yamin are deemed the least likely one-two finishers at +70,000. Wow, what a payoff! Still, it’s a sucker’s bet.
YouWager.com invites an interesting side wager on “Idol”: “Will Paula Abdul check into rehab prior to the end of this season for an alcohol problem?” A “Yes” bet is listed at +500.
Williams of PlayersOnly says his site probably will be taking action on ABC’s next edition of “Dancing With the Stars,” which likewise is a live competition.
“Our stance obviously is that we prefer live shows,” he says. “There’s far less chance of anyone having advance knowledge of the outcome. We don’t have a policy against doing taped shows (such as “Survivor” or “The Apprentice”), but we’re more selective than some sites are.”
All of the gaming sites have become more attuned to monitoring “unusual betting patterns and volumes of betting,” Williams says. Some editions of “Survivor” have had “issues,” he says, prompting PlayersOnly to remove the show from its site for now.
Betmaker is still gamely taking action on “The Sopranos,” though. The site’s odds-on favorite to be killed first this season – “Accidents and suicides do not count” – is Christopher Moltisanti at +110. Tony Soprano is the least likely (+900) while “None of the Above” is at +400.
Alas, “None of the Above” does not include marked man Vito Spatafore among its 10 candidates for extinction. You’d probably only win beans betting on him anyway.
One more thing. SportsInteraction.com offers several sporting propositions on Maury’s little predicament. Among your options: “Maury and Connie divorce” (8-1). Or “Maury and Connie appear on `Dr. Phil’” (12-1).
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