Is reality tv the future of betting?
1st March 2011
As reality TV popularity increased, bookmakers saw their opportunity to expand their market. While horse racing and football bets brought in mainly male audiences, reality TV brought in a lot more women and the younger generation.
“How it started
Big Brother was the first reality TV show to have bets placed upon it. Bets were made for who people thought would win the show and for who people thought would leave. These days all of the reality TV shows have their own UK betting system. I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing on Ice and the X Factor are all popular with punters.
How it Works
There are those who bet on reality TV for fun. However, there are also those who do it strategically. If you want to try your best to make money from reality TV betting then you should take your time to look at online forums and to study the shows themselves. Online forums will show you who is currently the favourite reality TV stars and who everybody hates.
Ed Murray, a professional gambler, makes a living from betting on reality TV shows. He states:
“I was basically using my knowledge as a journalist from my time at Sky Sports and Sky News. I understood the drive for ratings and which way they would want to steer shows. I won £19,000 every week that Chico would stay even if he was bottom two in X Factor. Cowell would never get rid of him. Publicity wise he was dynamite – on the front cover of tabloids every day.”
The man in charge of pspBetting, Mike Cooksedge, claims:
“Bookmakers see reality TV betting as a way of introducing their service to a new user base. The relaxation of attitudes towards gambling has encouraged people to have a bet who in the past wouldn’t have considered it, and many of them are more interest in reality TV than sport.”
It is advised that punters look at the difference between reality shows before they make a bet. Extreme characters found on shows such as Big Brother tend to go out fairly quickly. On shows such as I’m a Celebrity, extreme characters will typically stay until the end. The type of show that you are betting on will affect the type of character that you vote for.
As more reality TV shows air, there is no doubt that betting on the outcome of them will also increase in popularity. It is seen to be a fun and harmless type of betting. If you do want to get serious about making a profit from it then you will need to research the market and learn more about the types of characters in the shows.
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