Before we start, let me make something clear: This article isn’t saying you should gamble. If you’re not into gambling, that’s totally fine, and I’m not trying to change your mind. What we’re talking about here is how professional pickleball now has gambling options, and it’s part of the business strategy of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA). Just remember, online betting might not be allowed everywhere, and you should be 21 or older to do it. Also, winning is not guaranteed, and you could lose the money you bet. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please get help by calling 1-800-GAMBLER. Your well-being is important.
Legal pickleball betting is making its debut in ten states, thanks to the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA).
The PPA is breaking new ground by introducing authorized betting, starting with the Vulcan Kansas City Open.
FanDuel now offers PPA Tour betting in several states and Canada’s Ontario province. You can bet on match winners, correct scores, and total points.
The PPA Tour boasts over $5.5 million in annual prizes and 25 events in 2023. Amazon is streaming PPA Tour events on Prime Video.
Genius Sports is partnering with the PPA to provide data for betting, while Sportradar is ensuring fair play.
Connor Pardoe, PPA Tour’s Founder and CEO, said, “This is a monumental moment for pickleball and sports betting.”
In summary, pickleball betting is taking off with the PPA leading the charge.
If you’re not familiar with sports betting and its terms, I’ve put together a brief overview of the types of bets you can make on Pickleball. Forbes has a dedicated sub-blog on Sports Betting, and they covered the introduction of pickleball betting back in August when it was first announced.
In Pickleball betting, there are primarily three types of bets: Money Line, Over/Under, and Point Spreads. Moreover, you can also create Parlays by combining multiple bets, and the platform allows for Dynamic In-Game Betting. Let’s go over these concepts for those who might not know them:
Table of Contents
Money Line Betting
This is betting on who you think will win the match. The player more likely to win will have a minus number next to their name, like -600. This means you have to bet $600 to win $100. The underdog will have a plus number, like +450, meaning if you bet $100 you win $450.
Over/Under Points
You bet whether the total points scored by both players together will be more or less than a set number, like 39.5 points. If you think it will be a close match that goes to 3 games, bet the Over. If you think it will be a quick 2 game match, bet the Under.
Point Spreads
This is betting on how many points a player will win by. If Ben Johns is -7.5 points, he needs to win by 8 points over his opponent for you to win the bet. If you bet on his opponent, they can lose by up to 7 points and you still win.
Parlays
Combining multiple bets together. If you bet on someone to win, bet the under, and bet they win by a certain number of points, you could win a lot more money if you get all 3 bets right. But you lose it all if just one bet is wrong.
In-Game Betting
The betting odds change during the match. So you can bet again on someone new to win if they start winning the match.
State of Pickleball Betting
With the recent introduction of gambling on professional pickleball through the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), knowledgeable fans may have an edge in betting. Those closely following the sport and finding good information sources could have advantages that lead to successful betting.
After the first couple weekends of betting, some clear lessons emerged:
The Dink editors shared their betting experiences – tripling their money on singles day by trusting their hunches, but having less success on doubles day by overbetting every match. This exemplifies how singles betting can be easier than doubles.
DUPR founder Scott Mendelsohn meticulously analyzed his model’s picks versus the sportsbooks’ lines for the first event. Bettors following DUPR turned $100 into $829, showcasing the value of a data-driven approach.
I spoke directly with two avid Illinois bettors “C.J.” and “H.J.” who shared their strategies and results. By leveraging their expertise, they’ve increased a $4,000 bankroll to over $16,000. Their impressive 17-0 and 23-1 records prove the upside for knowledgeable fans.
C.J. and H.J. also noted how vital recent head-to-head data is for them, having built a mini-database from recent PPA events. This lets them identify rising stars and fading veterans – critical insights the seedings alone don’t provide.
So yes, fans “in the know” have inherent betting advantages over the sportsbooks. But that’s the nature of sports betting—the books vs the bettors.
Some other relevant betting notes:
- Betting is only offered on PPA matches streamed on the Championship and Grandstand courts since sports betting regulations require public match visibility. More streamed matches in the future could allow for more betting options.
- No betting is permitted on matches involving minors under 18 years old.
- FanDuel started in just 10 states/provinces and is expanding as they get approved state-by-state based on local regulations.
On the larger question of whether betting is good for pickleball, opinions vary. The International Pickleball Federation denounced it, but the PPA sees benefits like increased exposure and interest that will grow the sport.
Betting is normalized in the U.S. – $16 billion was wagered on last year’s Super Bowl. Most major sports now have betting partnerships. While match-fixing is a concern, the PPA has integrity policies and training in place. The betting upsides appear to outweigh potential downsides for the PPA.
Overall, betting brings pickleball more attention, which aids growth. Knowledgeable fans can benefit, but bettors must beware of ranking inflation, know current trends and players, and leverage insider expertise. More states adding betting and matches being streamed will expand opportunities. Despite some negative opinions, regulated betting seems here to stay.
