The WWE has benefitted from its fixed-fighting approach to wrestling, putting on a show that has excelled and built the brand over the years. Now with sports betting growing at a wild rate across the country, even the WWE is trying to get a piece of the pie. According to a report, the WWE is in talks with a couple of different states about WWE betting becoming an option for select fights.
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WWE Betting Coming to Your State?
According to CNBC, the WWE is in talks with Colorado and Michigan about a WWE betting option being added to sportsbooks. The clear and obvious concern about WWE betting becoming an option would be about the scripts getting leaked to the public, leading to an unfair advantage to some who have the inside track on the organization’s plans. But the report claims the WWE is already in discussion with the accounting firm “EY” to secure the scripted match results. EY is one of a few firms that have worked with award shows in the past to ensure those results are private.
The WWE recently changed hands when Vince McMahon stepped down as chairman and CEO following claims of sexual assault. He returned to the board this year to help the company in its sale process.
“As it relates to WWE, it’s an unbelievable product,” said CEO Ari Emanuel, per SportsKeeda. “Vince McMahon created a great business. We’ve had a long-standing relationship with them over two decades. We’re doing, as I indicated, the On Location business with them, The Endeavor Streaming with them. His business is really valuable, but we’re not going to do anything as it relates to changing our leverage position right now.”
Sure, the Academy Awards and other award shows have allowed betting to become legalized (even if it still isn’t allowed in most states). But WWE betting would likely be opening a whole different can of worms. Would it lead to TV shows and other obscure events hitting sportsbooks? Time will tell, but it appears there are a lot of roadblocks that need to be cleared before we see legalized WWE betting come to fruition.
We’ll continue to track this story to see where it leads.
