Betting on entertainment and current affairs seems to be booming in the UK. Right now you can bet on things you wouldn’t imagine it’s possible!

Novelty Specials Betting Examples:

• Who’s going to be the next Pope?
• Who’s going to be the next James Bond?
• Is it going to snow on Christmas Day?
• …and more!

Entertainment Betting Examples:

And when it comes to betting on Entertainment and TV shows… Boy, is it hot right now in the UK!

• Strictly Come Dancing
• Masterchef
• Great British Bake Off
• …and more. You name it!

What Can Players Bet On?

Players have been offered a vast spectrum of entertainment options to bet on, from award shows and reality shows to talent shows. Brief examples of some shows and their tips are:

1.  The Great British Bake Off

The Great British Bake Off is a popular TV show that showcases talent in baking with an exciting and creative format. The show is based on amateur bakers battling to win the grand prize. It’s relatively easy for players to identify the potential winner in the competition even in the early stages, as compared to talent shows. 

Similar to other TV shows, the best betting market with the highest odds on this show is wagering on the contestant who a player thinks will be crowned the overall winner. All qualified contestants are paraded to the public as an introduction at the beginning of the show, but this is not the ideal moment to place a bet on any of them. Players should wait till they have an opportunity to gather some knowledge on the skills of the contestants so that they can assess the best possible winner.  

Players can also place bets the baker to be eliminated and the star baker both which are available weekly. Additionally, players can also bet on further options like the baker who wins the weekly signature, the technical and the showstopper challenge, also done weekly. The earlier a player makes their bet, the better odds they land since the competition is still wide.

2. Strictly Come Dancing

This years Strictly Come Dancing show begins on Saturday 7th of September, marking the beginning of the 15th season. The dancing competition TV show is one of the popular TV shows in the UK that runs from September through to December. The show pits professional dancers who are partnered up with celebrities to compete in different dancing styles.

There are several great betting options to choose from from the show, and the most common one that most punters will be waiting for is to place bets on the outright winner. This type of bet will have very high odds in the first few weeks of the competition before the contestants start being eliminated since the show is highly competitive.

The show is no different from other popular talent shows. Players can go on and bet on the next contestants to be eliminated at each round and who makes it to the final round. Furthermore, players can bet on a further unique option that allows bets on the gender of the ultimate winner. The public votes for the contestants who they’d like to proceed to the next week and bettors should watch out for the couple who are backed by the public since they are the most likely to win.     

3. BBC Sports Personality of the Year

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) holds the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony every December. Eight awards are given at the ceremony including The Team of the Year, Coach of the Year and The Young Sports Personality of the year, with the oldest and most coveted being the Sports Personality of the Year award, Won by the most outstanding sports person across all sports. The awards are only for British sportsmen and women or foreigners who reside in the UK and have participated in their sports for a significant period.

The top five candidates in this year’s race for the precious award are:

• Raheem Sterling – Football
• Dina Asher-Smith – Athletics
• Lewis Hamilton – Formula One racing
• Tyson Fury – Boxing
• Joe Root – Cricket   

These and many more TV events offer bettors an extra option to grab some cash while also having fun. Entertainment betting has a slightly different aspect that spices it up, making it more exciting and fun. With the gambling industry rapidly developing, players can now enjoy these types of bets at the comfort of their couch through mobile or desktop sites. 

With that said, bettors should make an effort to gain more knowledge on the shows they intend to bet on. Some shows are real, while others are scripted or pre-determined. Lack of such prior knowledge could lead to losses. Once equipped with the necessary knowledge, nothing can hinder players from delving into a free world of entertainment with a wide variety. Who doesn’t love fun?!.  

4. The Oscars 

Commonly known as The Academy Awards, Oscar Awards is one of the most glamorous annual events to celebrate the best performance in the film industry. The 92nd Oscar Awards will be held on the 9th of February 2025. It’s never too early to predict the outcome, and with less than six months to go, the markets are having plenty of movement in the Best Picture category.

Word has it that  The Last Thing He Wanted, a political thriller starring Anne Hathaway and Willem Dafoe is the most favourite film to scoop the award. The average betting odds for the movie in some top online sportsbook is 6/1, followed closely by The Irishman at 3/1 and The Laundromat at 4/1. These odds are subject to fluctuate over the coming times, but players advised to watch and follow the changes in the film industry, and they can gather tips and possible intel on the likely winners in each category.

5. The WWE

WWE is a privately controlled American entertainment company that has three main types of TV shows, namely The Monday Night Raw, SmackDown and NXT, each with different championships under it. For example, the NXT has a separate championship for English players. 

There are over 500 wrestling events in a year, and unlike other sports, WWE is based purely on entertainment and thus is scripted, and winners are pre-determined. Players do not need to consider the skills or past performances of a player when betting since anyone can win. Instead, the trick is to follow the script pattern. The previous treatment of a player, past events, past surprise stunts pulled by the scriptwriters and other attributes gained from closely following the show, are what players should follow to grab huge winnings.

6. The X-Factor

The XFactor is a British music competition TV series that showcases the best musicians in both the UK and Ireland. There is always massive interest at who will emerge the winner and big suspense on the elimination weekends. As the anticipation builds each week, viewers take part in betting to increase the excitement. Players who place their bets early in the season tend to land the most enticing odds.

Players should choose the participant they think will win the competition but this not necessarily the outstanding performer at the beginning of the season. The primary point to consider – a trick that most top bookmakers use – is not the voice or performance of a participant, but the public perception. This plays a huge role in determining who wins the competition because it is the public who vote to keep the competitors in the race. 

The public and bookmakers are always favouriting with the contestants who keep improving each week. Bettors should watch out the trends and be able to analyse the public favourites. The players should then look at the bookmaker’s valuation on these contestants and find a value bet to place. Contestants who have big odds and have less media attention and public support are least likely to win.    

7.  Britain’s Got Talent (BGT)

Britain’s Got Talent is a TV talent show that showcases many different talents that compete to get an opportunity to perform on the Royal Variety Show every year. Players can bet on their favourite acts to win or the acts that will proceed or be eliminated at different stages. 

The most common way of betting on BGT is betting on the act contestant who will make it to the last round and emerge the grand winner as voted by the public. Players should be keen enough to identify the public’s favourite contestant as they are the ones with the most significant chance to win. Bookmakers try to base their valuation around the same concepts.

Players can also bet on the judge who will press the Golden Buzzer first. If a judge presses the buzzer, an act is sent from the auditions right to the semi-finals. Each judge can only push this once meaning only five acts are promoted to the later stages. This can also be used to identify the outstanding performances that can quickly receive the public’s support, and players who place their bets on these acts at such early stages have the opportunity to land very lucrative odds. 

Other bets are betting on which performers will make it to the semi-final and the final rounds, which will make it to the live show and subsequently which acts receive the highest votes and proceed after each round. There are many diverse acts and thus, many markets to bet on. Players only need to make prior observations and make informed decisions before betting. 

8. Novelty Specials

Betting on novelty specials is a relatively new branch of online gambling. Basically, it means betting on any current affairs, awards, and whatever is going on in the culture. Some examples:

• Winner of a Nobel Prize
• Will it Snow on Christmas Day?
• What colour of a hat will the Queen wear?

Cool fact! You can also bet on the Crufts dog competition which we are particularly excited about here at smartphonegambler!

Why Bet on TV Shows and Awards?

You may wonder why you would ever place your money on something like this, TV specials betting. The markets concerned are most of the time not for the big time sport punters out there, it is a way for gambling companies to have a bigger reach and engage different types of people.

It can be a social thing to do if you are together and watching a show, maybe you all decide on one person to win. Just like in a football game the people involved would gain a lot of interest for the show as there are profits to make.

The Last Jedi Case

Take for instance last year’s release of The Last Jedi.

Betting sites offered bets on the total gross revenue, over/under just in your everyday football game.

But here you got to choose from over or under $1 billion with odds giving you a 180 unit profit on a 100 unit stake for the under choice. For over you would have had to bet 400 just to make 100 in profits.

Quite a lot more interesting than Super Bowl or World Cup if you’re not really that into sports isn’t it?

A Multitude of Betting Options

If you are a big TV fan, which there are many of out there, normally you follow a show as it is released so you always know how your favorite characters are doing.

When you are already investing that much time and energy into the show, why not bet on it too? It’s a great way to potentially make some quick money while enjoying yourself! You can find odds on the largest TV shows around quite commonly.

Follow our Entertainment news posts section to stay up-to-date with whatever betting options are hot right now!

This kind of betting has also made it into the music scene so if you are a big fan and keep track of the latest releases and albums you are able to predict your winners at the Grammy’s or Choice Music Prize! Just keep an eye out for odds when the award event is getting closer to date and you’ll be sure to find them. You might even find some more music awards with odds offered.

How Do We Find an Edge for TV Specials Betting?

But other than that, we can also study the TV shows and their tells.

Betting TIP! Any productions such as BBC have an agenda or similar that might be pushed in the show, then you can try to predict people to disappear who don’t fit into the larger picture.

Example:

Say for instance there is a show with lots of love and understanding where contestants still are eliminated, maybe look for the person not fitting fully into the group or being made out to be different in the show. They might be leaving soon as people tend to eliminate what they don’t like or understand.

For us to find some kind of advantage when betting on TV shows we would really need to be digging deep or have some connections providing us with inside information. As most TV shows are not streamed live we can actually know the answer in advance, but mostly not unless you are in the TV business.

Check Internet Discussions

You could also look around in different discussion forums to see if any information regarding the show has leaked beforehand or if any contestants who were competing posted things or pictures from the shooting. People talk a lot and information can travel on the internet in seconds.

Pay Attention to How the People are Presented

If there is an elimination show you can also kind of see what people are making it further than others by looking at the way they have chosen to film the show and interview the people within it.

Watch Shows Previews

Perhaps the preview to the next episode is presented with some giveaways when you really think about how they are showing it or how they are talking in a previous show.

Sometimes they even play different style of music when showing the contestants which can be quite the giveaway.

Maybe the small clip promoting the next episode was missing one person in the competition? Things like these are good to keep in mind if you want to bet on your favorite TV shows.

Conclusion

Hopefully you feel that you have a greater insight on the TV betting scene now, and why not combine the two, make it a bit more interesting and maybe even a little bit in the process. Doesn’t sound too bad to us.

And even if you don’t really enjoy watching TV these bets should be of interest if you’re looking to make money. With such giveaways and hints you can make good profits if you have a close eye at the details.

Find an edge where you think the best value is and stake your bet, why not on a cooking show like MasterChef? With such intensity in a cooking show it never gets boring, you can make a good profit at the same time as you are learning how to cook and you only need to focus on one thing, the TV!

Remember to compare the different betting sites to find the best odds when you place your TV bets, we always present the best betting sites around for you to enjoy!

Good luck!