In the United States, millions of dollars are being wagered on obscure table tennis matches in Eastern Europe. Last February, in a sparsely attended gym in Poland, two relatively unknown players faced off in a match that lasted 14 minutes. A sports bettor in the United States, thousands of miles away, placed a bet of $35,000 on the outcome of this match, one of the largest bets ever placed on the sport to date.
Millions of Dollars
In 2023 alone, Colorado saw a total of $107 million wagered on table tennis. Data from the Oregon State Lottery reveals that table tennis has quietly become one of the most popular sports for betting. In 2023, the betting amount on table tennis reached $57 million, a significant increase from $18.5 million in 2022. This surge represents 890,000 individual bets. Although table tennis still lags behind basketball, football, and baseball, it has now surpassed traditional sports like tennis, soccer, hockey, and golf in betting interest.
Bettors even surpass other sports in the amounts wagered on table tennis matches. The average bet on a table tennis match is $66, compared to $24 for NFL games, $34 for Major League Baseball, and $41 for NBA games.
These matches are often held in dilapidated gyms with no live audience, commentators, or fans, and the scores are manually recorded. Despite the players' high skill level, they are still far from elite.
"They are not on the same level. I would consider this to be club level. These are serious players, but far from the national team," said Sean O’Neill, a two-time Olympic athlete. So, why is there such strong betting interest?
"Cocaine of Gambling"
"It's like the cocaine of gambling," explained Dr. Ken Pendleton of the University of Oregon. He noted the huge number of matches, the constant start of new games, and the short duration of matches, allowing for rapid and repeated betting. The continuous pace and unending action with almost no downtime keep bettors consistently engaged. Most of them watch these matches directly through YouTube or betting platforms.
COVID-19: A Catalyst
The surge in popularity began during the COVID-19 pandemic when most mainstream sports events were canceled. The demand for these table tennis matches was so strong that the number of matches increased sharply and continued to grow.
"They have players competing all day long," said O’Neill. "Matches take place at 3 AM, 4 AM, 5 AM, all because these matches are broadcast for the betting community. Bettors are always looking for the next match."
Concerns Over Match Fixing
In 2020, authorities in Colorado and New Jersey temporarily banned betting on table tennis due to concerns about possible match-fixing in Ukraine. However, most of these matches are organized by the TT Elite Series based in Poland. This organization has never been implicated in any match-fixing scandals and has always been committed to maintaining the fairness of the matches.
