UFC parent company Endeavor Group announced last month that it is acquiring World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in a deal worth $9.3bn. In a recent appearance the Sports Media Podcast, Endeavour’s chief operating officer Mark Shapiro discussed the possibility of betting on WWE matches.
While the outcome of WWE matches is pre-determined, the organization reportedly has been in talks with certain US state gaming regulators about allowing wagering on these events. EY is on board to help create a system to safeguard the pre-determined results.
Shapiro acknowledged the popularity of sports betting, especially in-game wagering. He spoke about parlays, prop bets, and in-play betting all lending themselves well to sports like the UFC, but not the WWE.
in-game is going to be very hard to do”
Due to the scripted nature of the events, Shapiro said that in-event wagering is “never going to be a growth strategy for them.” He does believe that pre-match betting on the winner of a given bout will likely be an option, but that “in-game is going to be very hard to do.”