The most curious "sports bets" in January 2024

A lot can happen in sport: Goals, penalties, records, victories, best times and placings are just some of the many events that make up sports around the world. Depending on the competition, bets can be placed on all of these. However, there is much more to discover than these 'standards'. In fact, there are virtually no limits to the imagination when it comes to quirky sports betting, as the market proves time and time again.

For many of us, betting on the outcome of a Bundesliga football match is the most normal thing in the world. Over/under points, handicaps or half-time scores, goalscorer bets and similar markets are also regularly placed and are practically part of the everyday life of the typical sports betting fan. But there is another way!

The world of sports betting has a lot more to offer, including some of the strangest - if not downright absurd - betting markets. Especially in the UK, but also in the USA and other countries, it is not only possible to bet on results, wins and draws on popular betting sites on the internet or in local betting shops. Often the betting markets or events on offer have nothing to do with sport at all. The outcome of TV shows such as America's Got Talent, the name of the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom or the date of the next moon landing are all common entertainment, TV, political and social betting options. As we said at the beginning, the sky's the limit.

Current curiosities among international sportsbook operators

The possibilities in sports betting are now almost limitless. Over the past few years, there have been reports of bets that have amazed or made people smile.

For example, a very interesting option was offered by some bookmakers during the 2014 World Cup. You could bet on whether Luis Suárez, the Uruguayan striker known for his sometimes aggressive play, would bite someone repeatedly. According to reports, one young man made a lot of money on that bet, as Suárez did indeed bite again in the final group game against Italy.

Another interesting story from the past involves Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy: when Rory was just 15 years old, his father bet that his son would win the British Open before his 26th birthday. Together with friends and acquaintances, they bet £400 - and Rory McIlroy did indeed triumph in that very tournament at the age of 25. The syndicate received a whopping £200,000.

So much for history. But the present is not lacking in the potential for similarly astonishing stories. Although some of the current markets do seem rather far-fetched. The betting on Rory McIlroy to win the Open Championship and Luis Suarez's biting attack, on the other hand, look like safe bets.

So here is a selection of the current top betting markets from the cabinet of curiosities:

• "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. 2024 cover model" - from "Andreja Pejic" with odds of 50.00 to "Christian Harper" with odds of 4.00
• "Accessories that Kim Kardashian will wear at the Met Gala 2024 - from 'Hat' with odds of 9.00 to 'Necklace' with odds of 2.00
• "Joe Rogan. Next podcast platform after current deal with Spotify expires" - from "Player" with odds of 34.00 to "Spotify" with odds of 1.667
• "Mariah Carey. Next boyfriend" - from "Professional athlete" with odds of 21.00 to "Dancer" with odds of 3.80
• "Selena Gomez. 2024. special bets" - from "Super Bowl performance" at odds of 7.00 to "new album release" at odds of 1.50 (there are also options on a possible pregnancy or reaching 450 million followers on Instagram)
• "Simon Cowell. 2024. special bets" - from "wedding in Barbados in 2024" at odds of 5.00 to "photographed smoking" at odds of 2.00
• "Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce. Where will they get married?" - from "abroad" with odds of 9.00 to "Tennessee" with odds of 3.50
• "Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce. Where will they go on their honeymoon? - from "South America" with odds of 13.00 to "Hawaii" with odds of 3.50
• "Dancing on Ice 2023 - Winner - from Adele Roberts at 7.40 to Ryan Thomas at 3.50
• "US Presidential Election 2024 - with possible candidates including 'Oprah Winfrey' (odds 201.00), 'Mark Zuckerberg' (odds 251.00) or 'Meghan Markle' (odds 301.00)
• "Snoop Dogg. Special bets" - from "Appearance in Bud Light advert" with odds of 26.00 to "Performance at the Superbowl" with odds of 1.333
• "Ranking of cities by quality of life. 2024. winner" - from "Brisbane" with odds of 26.00 to "Frankfurt am Main" with odds of 21.00 to "Vienna" with odds of 1.83
• "Special bets" - from "Robin Gunningham to be confirmed as Banksy by 1 June 2024" with odds of 4.25 to "Banksy will go to court by 1 June - No" with odds of 1.167
• "Meghan Markle & Prince Harry. Lose their titles on 1 June 2024?" - "yes" with odds of 5.00 and "no" with odds of 1.143
• "India. Special bets" - "The Indian government will change the country's name to Bharat by the end of 2024 - "yes" with odds of 5.00 and "no" with odds of 1.143
• "Grand Theft Auto. Which characters will appear in GTA 6" - from "Dylan Mulvaney" with odds of 65.00 to "DJ Khaled" with odds of 1.25
• "Who will win a war when aliens attack Earth?" (no joke, it really exists at the moment) - "Humans" with odds of 1.25 and "Aliens" with odds of 4.00

This list could go on for quite a while, but it should be more than enough to give you a good idea of how crazy the betting can be.

One question remains: can you find such absurd bets at German bookmakers?

The short answer is: No. In the past, bookmakers that now have a German licence, such as Interwetten or bet-at-home, always had curiosities in their offer. You could bet on DSDS, Schlag den Star or even on events in the jungle camp. Some of this is still possible today (e.g. at Interwetten), but not for customers from Germany.

The reason for this is the new State Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV) from 2021. According to the legislation, such betting formats do not count as sports betting and are therefore prohibited. The clarification of terms at the very beginning of the GlüStV makes it clear why sports betting operators with a German licence will no longer be allowed to bet on an alien war or similar:

"Sports betting is betting at fixed odds on a future event during a sporting event, on the outcome of a sporting event, or on the outcome of a part of a sporting event. A sporting event is a sporting competition between people according to defined rules".

Sports betting is therefore limited to real sporting events and the events or results that take place there. Bets on football players biting each other or other events that are not typically part of the sport are excluded. In addition, certain event bets, such as on cards or entire sports such as MMA, are de facto no longer welcome.

Conclusion

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/illustrations/foto-manipulation-au%C3%9Ferirdischer-1825450/