A long Coney Island tradition
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is an independence day tradition in Coney Island, New York. The competition, which sees contestants eat as many hot dogs and buns as they can in ten minutes, has taken place in its current location most years since the early 1970s. As a result, it now boasts a long list of winners from countries all across the world.
Joey Chestnut is seeking a record 14th win
This year, the event will take place on Sunday at 11am Eastern Time at the Maimonides Park baseball stadium. For the 18th consecutive year, ESPN will broadcast the event live for fans eager to see who will take home the hot dog eating crown. This year, event legend Joey Chestnut is seeking a record 14th win, while Michelle Lesco is a clear favorite in the women’s competition.
With the contest gaining notoriety in recent years, some sportsbooks have begun taking bets on the event. As this year’s competitors loosen their waistbands in preparation for Sunday’s action, VegasSlotsOnline News has taken a look at the odds on offer.
Who is taking bets?
Betting remains limited across the US, but gaming regulators in New Jersey, Colorado, and New Hampshire all allow their state’s sportsbooks to offer odds on the hot dog eating competition. Despite this, only DraftKings and Unibet are currently taking bets on the contest in those states.
For the second consecutive year, DraftKings has decided to team up with the competition as its betting sponsor. Through this agreement, the operator has launched a free-to-play pool for its customers offering a total of $25,000 in prize money.
DraftKings took to Twitter on Tuesday to publicize the free competition:
Customers must attempt to correctly answer a list of predictive questions surrounding the event, including the men’s winner, women’s winner, and whether anyone will break the previous record for hot dogs consumed. The pool is offering a top prize of $1,000, while second and third place will take home $500 and $200, respectively.
Joey Chestnut the clear men’s favorite
Understandably, the man who has won Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest almost every year since 2007 is favorite to take the win once more. Joey Chestnut has lost only once in that time, and set a new world record in 2020 by consuming 75 hot dogs in the 10-minute time limit.
On Twitter, DraftKings posted a video of Chestnut’s record-breaking win last year:
For bettors hoping to place a bit of cash of Chestnut, the odds might not make it that worthwhile. DraftKings has the reigning champ at -3335 to win the contest. That means to win $100, a gambler would need to stake $3,335. Meanwhile, Unibet isn’t offering odds on the winner at all.
There are some options for those who would still like to wager on Chestnut however. Both operators are offering odds on the eating legend to slide down more or less than 73.5 hot dogs, priced at -200 for over and +150 for under.
If bettors are feeling a little more adventurous, they can place money on any other participant to win at odds of +900. DraftKings and Unibet are also offering wagering on best finishes between two other competitors. Gamblers can bet on Geoffrey Esper at -125 to beat Darron Breeden, or on Nick Wehry at -141 to defeat Gideon Oji.
DraftKings tips Michelle Lesco in the women’s
DraftKings is the only sportsbook currently offering odds on the women’s competition, and the operator has backed Michelle Lesco to take home the pink mustard belt. If she does so, she will become the third different champion since Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest began its women’s competition.
Lesco is a world record holder just like Chestnut, but not in the art of eating hot dogs. In 2018, she secured a Guinness World Record for the fastest time to eat a bowl of pasta, consuming it in just 26.69 seconds:
Miki Sudo ate 48.5 dogs in the Coney Island competition last year to retain her title for the seventh year in a row, setting a new women’s contest record in the process. However, she is commentating on this year’s broadcast after falling pregnant, opening the door for Lesco to take the victory. Lesco’s own personal competition record stands at 32 hot dogs in 2017.
As with Chestnut in the men’s competition, DraftKings is only offering individual odds on Lesco to win. The operator has priced the favorite at -1000, or bettors can wager on any other contestant at +500. However, last year’s second place contestant Larell Marie Mele slid down just 18 hot dogs, meaning Lesco will secure victory by getting anywhere near her personal record.