The majority of online sports books offer TV betting events, from award shows to talent shows and more. In Canada, we have our own major award shows and reality shows. But because many Canadian betting sites are actually based outside of the country and were created to appeal to a wide audience, you’ll find less of an emphasis on Canadian TV betting and more on global TV.
Still, in this article we’ll try to focus on the events that Canadians will recognize and want to bet on. We’ll also focus on the events that you can find on Canadian betting sites.
TV Betting: Award Shows
In another article we looked at Oscar Betting Markets and discussed how you can bet on the biggest award show in the world. More people tune in to watch the Academy Awards than any other TV program. And that applies around the world, with the Oscars attracting more viewers than the Super Bowl. But that’s not the only major award show that you can bet on. In fact, there are many more.
Here in Canada, we have our own award shows: such as the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. But it isn’t always to find betting on this. You can regularly find betting on the following events though:
- Grammy Awards: This is the most watched music award show in the world. As with the Academy Awards, the Grammys is a big night for the industry it represents, and there are a host of special appearances. Tens of millions of viewers tune in from North America alone, and the Grammys is also shown worldwide.
- Emmy Awards: A big night for big TV shows, the Emmys are considered to be to TV what Grammys are to music. The total viewership is around half of the viewership of the Grammys, but it’s still a big event. You can often find markets on the best TV Shows and other major awards.
- MTV Awards: This event seems to be in decline, but it’s still a great show to watch. The average age of viewers of the MTV Music Awards is close to half that of the Oscars and Grammys. In fact, many viewers are too young to gamble, which is why many bookies are not interested in offering odds. They do exist on the bigger sites though.
TV Betting: Talent Shows
Talent shows are huge right now and they have been for the last decade or show. Admittedly, they are not as big as they were a few years ago, but a talent show final still stirs up a lot of excitement with betting sites and gamblers, so you can expect to find a lot of odds.
What’s more, if you have watched the show from the beginning, going through the auditions and the live shows and following the gossip, then you may have a good idea of just who will win. From the gambler’s perspective, these shows are great as it’s not unheard of for a big outsider to win. If you can predict this (which is highly possible if you’ve paid close attention) then you could be in for a big payday.
On Canadian friendly betting sites, the most markets can be found on the following talent shows:
- Got Talent: The “Got Talent” format is a TV revolution that has been shown in many countries. Canada’s Got Talent debuted in 2012 and there were a few sites offering bets on the outcome. This turned out to be the first and only year for CGT, but you can still bet on America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent and other major formats.
- American Idol: This show has spawned many great singers, including Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson. It is one of the biggest singing shows in the world and one that gets a lot of attention even outside of the United States. Canadian Idol wasn’t popular with gambling sites and hasn’t aired since 2008.
- The X Factor: This is the UK’s biggest singing competition. The UK may be small, but because it was one of the first and because it has spawned bands like Little Mix and One Direction, it has become popular with worldwide fans and there are no shortage of betting markets on it either. You can bet on the winners and placers, as well as the people who get knocked out each week.
Although it’s not strictly a talent show, at least not in same way as those mentioned above, you can also find bets on Miss Universe. This annual event tends to offer good odds across the board.
TV Betting: Reality Shows
Reality shows aren’t always trusted by the gambling sites. There also a few problems to consider with here. The first is that many of them are not live. This means some people will get the result while the markets are still taking bets. There is also the fact that there is nothing regulating them, which makes things even more difficult.
One of the reality shows that often offers betting is Big Brother. The same goes for I’m a Celebrity, and the many dancing shows held all over the world. That’s because these are live; the winner is voted for by the public and because of phone voting, there is some strict regulation in place. When betting on these, the same rules apply as when betting on talent shows. Simply put, if you want from the beginning, if you understand the format and if you get involved with the gossip both offline and online, then you can get an idea of who will win. Also as with talent shows, reality show winners aren’t always favorites. And there are big odds to secure if you make the right decision.
When it comes to shows like The Amazing Race, The Bachelor and Love It or List It, all of which have Canadian versions, there is no betting available. If you want to know whether there will be betting or not, a good guide is whether the show is live and has public voting. If yes, then here probably will be betting somewhere, if no, then there’s a very slim chance.
