The world of betting can be a peculiar place at the best of times. We all want to make a bit of extra money by placing a wager on sports or casino games, but there’s a whole new world of markets available. Aliens, royal weddings, an apocalypse – you can truly bet on anything online. None of these are out of reach for bets with bookmakers, so let’s take a closer look at some of the weirdest things you can bet on. Simply put, if you can think of it, you can probably bet on it. Bookmakers will offer odds on almost anything. You can even contact them and propose a bet, and many bookmakers will provide you with odds tailored around that situation.
Do you think an asteroid is heading straight for planet earth or that two world superpowers will start an irrecoverable world war? Either way, you can place a wager on when the world will end. This might just be one of the most random things to bet on, after all, how would you possibly collect your winnings? There would be no bookmaker left, and you certainly wouldn’t be around either. That said, it must provide some light entertainment for plenty of punters out there. Not to mention the fact that bookmakers can take in a tidy profit on something there is no risk of ever paying out on.
Another “popular” type that is out of the ordinary is when parents bet on their young child’s sporting success. There have been a few well-known instances of this being one of the things you can bet on, especially in the world of soccer. English goalkeeper Chris Kirkland’s dad placed a small sum on his son becoming an England international before the age of 30. Harry Wilson, then a young Liverpool player, earned his grandad a staggering £125,000 when he became Wales’ youngest-ever player back in 2013. It hasn’t just been soccer players that have been earning their families some cash, either. Rory McIlroy’s dad Gerry netted himself over €100,000 when he placed a €200 stake on his son winning the Open within 10 years when he was only 15.
On our list of the weirdest things you can bet on, we’ve already discussed the prospect of betting on the end of planet Earth. But what about betting on things that are out of this world, literally? There are plenty of online betting sites that will take wagers on proof of intelligent life on another planet. How this ‘proof’ is set to be defined is an interesting feature of this particular bet. There are apparent sightings of UFOs nearly every day, so I imagine the proof may need to be considerably more significant than this. Some bookmakers have even stated that they will only pay out when it has been publicly confirmed by the US president.
We understand your confusion with this one, as it’s an unusual wager, to say the least. However, competitive bog snorkeling is absolutely a real event that’s held annually in the UK. Unlike other places with sandy beaches and deep blue seas, the UK and its climate is the perfect location for this activity. The Championship has been going on for over 35 years and is even one of the country’s strongest traditions.
Every year, hundreds of people from around the world make their way to the UK to compete in the World Bog Snorkeling Championship. Of course, the prerequisite for this is for the weather to be at its very worst. Basically, the competitors have to complete two lengths of bog water in the quickest time possible. Naturally, there are many betting markets offered on this activity, which is also often sponsored by gambling firms.
Not only can you bet on who will become a world leader during an election, but you can also bet on specific world leaders and various situations. More recently, the most prominent markets have been around Kim Jong Un and up until his recent loss, Donald Trump. You can place bets on when their reign will end and if they will start a war. You can also put money on who will replace them (including his sister in Kim Jong Un’s case) or if they will die during their reign. Though not everyone would want to bet on celebrity deaths, some people seem to enjoy the activity. In the UK, you could even bet on whether President Trump would challenge Kim Jong Un to a round of golf. It really does get that bizarre.
If you’re on the hunt for funny things to bet on, cheese rolling is definitely the right choice. Now, this sport is exactly what you think it is. The competitors roll big chunks of round cheese down a hill, with the winner being the first to hit the finish line. There are sportsbooks out there that offer this sport in their roster, allowing bettors to place wagers on who’ll win. Yet, the best part about this entire sport is that cheese-rolling officials applied to the International Olympic Committee. Unfortunately, their attempt to make cheese rolling an official sport and involve it in the Olympic Games failed.
While there have been some truly weird things to bet on discussed in this article, this next one might just top them all. You can bet on ferret bingo. Yes, really. Ferret bingo. A ferret is placed in a cage with a series of tunnels with associated numbers attached to them. When the ferret escapes via that tunnel, then that number is crossed off. When someone has a full house, just like in normal bingo, they are declared the winner. Ferret bingo may sound like a joke, but it is taken deadly seriously by those playing it. There have even been accusations of tunnel tampering by disgruntled contestants.
Last but certainly not least on our list of weird bets is wife-carrying. This sport originated in Finland, and it entails a man carrying a woman down an obstacle course. Now, it’s important to note that the woman doesn’t have to be his wedded wife. Of course, the winner is the first couple that reaches the finish line. The winner of the race gets beer equal to his wife’s weight in beer and a cash prize of five times her weight. The couple also gets an automatic entry into the World Wife-Carrying Championship that takes place in Finland.
This sport is also all the rage in Ireland, where the obstacle course is 253 meters long. It’s a popular betting activity that’s often sponsored by horse-racing bookies.
After learning about the weirdest things you can bet on, it’s fair to say that the world of betting is home to some pretty extraordinary markets. Bookmakers are constantly looking to add to their offerings and are willing to tackle the punter on pretty much any topic. It is good business and good publicity to offer wacky and unique markets, and this entices some customers who enjoy these types of bets. Remember, you can always reach out to your favorite betting site with your bespoke bet to see what odds you will be offered.