Eastern European table tennis betting, an American obsession

Garance Limouzy August 9, 2024

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Eastern European table tennis betting, an American obsession

In the USA, millions of dollars are being wagered on obscure table tennis matches in Eastern Europe. Last year in February, in a sparsely filled gymnasium in Poland, two relatively unknown players battled it out in a 14-minute match. Thousands of miles away, an American sports bettor placed an impressive $35,000 bet on the outcome, one of the biggest bets ever placed on the sport.

Millions of dollars

In 2023 alone, Colorado saw $107 million in wagers placed on table tennis. Data from the Oregon Lottery reveals that table tennis has quietly become one of the most popular sports for betting. In 2023, $57 million was bet on the sport, a dramatic increase from the $18.5 million wagered in 2022. This surge represents 890,000 individual bets. Although table tennis still comes behind basketball, football, and baseball, it now outpaces more traditional sports like tennis, soccer, hockey, and golf in terms of betting interest.

Bettors are even wagering more per game on table tennis than on other sports. The average table tennis bet stands at $66, compared to $24 on NFL games, $34 on Major League Baseball, and $41 on NBA games.

The matches, are often held in rundown gymnasiums with no live audience, announcers, or fans, and have scores kept manually. The players, while skilled, are far from elite.

“It isn’t the highest level. I would consider it club-level. These are serious players but not close to the national team,” said Sean O’Neill, a two-time Olympian. So, why the intense betting interest?

“The Crack Cocaine of Gambling”

“This is like the crack cocaine of sports gambling,” explained Dr. Ken Pendleton from the University of Oregon. He pointed out that the sheer volume of matches, with new games starting constantly, coupled with their short duration, allows for rapid, repeated betting. The relentless pace and continuous action leave little room for downtime, keeping bettors constantly engaged. Most of them watch these matches on YouTube or directly through betting platforms.

table tennis betting — ***A TT Cup game – From TTcup.com YouTube channel***

COVID-19: the catalyst

The surge in popularity began during the COVID-19 pandemic when most mainstream sporting events were cancelled. The demand for these table tennis matches was so overwhelming that the number of games skyrocketed, and continues to grow.

“They’ve got players competing 24/7, around the clock,” said O’Neill. “Matches are happening at 3 a.m., 4 a.m., 5 a.m., all because they’re being 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 over concerns about potential match-fixing in Ukraine. However, most of these matches are organised by the TT Elite Series, based in Poland. This organisation has never been implicated in match-fixing scandals and has been diligent in maintaining the integrity of its matches.

Platforms like DraftKings, which stream these games to American bettors, also play a role in safeguarding against match-fixing by closely monitoring betting patterns.