The Most Unconventional Bets from Bookmakers

Publication date: 08 Oct 2024

Fierce competition is forcing bookmakers to constantly develop and offer more complex and detailed betting options. Today, even such specific parameters as the number of passes of a single player in the upcoming match have become a familiar part of bookmakers’ lines.

Experienced bettors are no longer surprised by such offers. They actively research bookmaker lines to find profitable and interesting bets. In order to widen the audience and increase the participation of gamblers who can not only follow sports events, bookmakers offer bets on the most unusual and unexpected events. On 3S.INFO we’ve collected the most interesting bets offered by bookmakers:

Top 10 unusual bets offered by bookmakers

1. Bets on possible incidents during sports matches. Bookmakers offer bets on “near-sports” events. For example, whether a fan will run onto the field during a football match, or whether a player will eat a cake during a match. In 2017, during the match of the 1/8 final of the FA Cup between a modest club “Sutton” from the fifth division and London “Arsenal” reserve Sutton goalkeeper Wayne Shaw ate with appetite a pie with meat and potatoes. He let his friends bet on the event.
2. Betting on the future of children. Parents always believe in their children, and sometimes that belief pays off. The father of former Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland bet £100 that his son would play for the England national team until his thirtieth birthday (Kirkland Jr was 11 at the time of the bet). Thirteen years later, Kirkland made his England debut in a friendly against Greece and his father received a £10,000 prize.
3. In politics, as in sports, a lot of people have an understanding. Therefore, major political events such as presidential elections or referendums do not go unnoticed by bookmakers and bettors. Do you know who will be the next President of the United States? The bookmaker will be happy to offer odds on your option. The story from Poland, where in 2018 a group of exit poll experts won more than $180,000 by correctly predicting the outcome of local elections, can be inspiring.
4. Weather. The results of Russian Premier League football matches can be unpredictable, but the weather outside your window can be even more unpredictable. There are many folk omens and beliefs about possible weather phenomena. Why not use folk wisdom and bet on what the weather will be like on a particular day? In the UK, for example, betting on whether it will snow in major cities on Christmas Day (e.g., whether it will be a “white Christmas” in London) is extremely popular.
5. Cultural events. For movie lovers and music fans, bookmakers often invite people to guess the outcome of popular awards and competitions, such as the Oscars, Grammys or Eurovision Song Contest. Bookmakers see the comedy-drama “Anora” by Sean Baker, “Dune II” by Denis Villeneuve, “Blitz” by Steve McQueen and “Conclave” by Edward Berger as the main favorites for the 2025 Oscar statuette in the Best Picture category. By the way, if you’re interested, there is a selection of the best movies and TV shows about bookmakers on 3S.INFO.
6. Nobel Prize. The winners for 2024 will be announced in October. So it’s the perfect time to check out the betting lines and try to anticipate the Nobel Committee’s decisions. In one of the most talked-about categories – the Nobel Peace Prize – bookmakers see American billionaire Elon Musk, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, British naturalist David Attenborough, former U.S. President Donald Trump, Pope Francis and UN Secretary-General António Guterres among the favorites.
7. The gender of a celebrity’s future child is one of the most popular “non-sports” bets. In particular, in the United Kingdom, while waiting for the birth of the heir of Prince William and Kate Middleton, bets on the sex and name of the child were up to 500,000 pounds.
8. First man on Mars. Elon Musk and his company SpaceX are actively preparing their mission to Mars, and some bookmakers are taking bets on who will be the first man to set foot on the surface of Mars and which country will send the mission.
9. Alien landing. Staying with the space theme, you can also find betting offers on the first time humanity will officially meet an alien civilization. Bookmakers believe that the most likely meeting with visitors from outer space is in the USA, Russia or China. Moreover, bookmakers suggest considering the scenario of not a peaceful intergalactic visit, but a full-scale alien invasion of Earth. Analysts estimate the probability of success of the Earthlings in this war at 75%, which can only be encouraging.
10. Betting on the end of the world is perhaps the most controversial betting option. Some bookmakers offer betting on the date of the end of the world. However, it is not quite clear what to do with the winnings if the bet is successful.

The wide range of leading bookmakers attracts not only those who actively follow sporting events and esports competitions, but also people with a wide variety of interests. By offering bets on unusual events such as film and music awards, political elections, cultural events or even weather phenomena, bookmakers go beyond the sporting context. This allows them to attract new audiences who may not always be interested in traditional betting.