Novelty betting, also known as special betting, involves betting on the outcome of current, global or non-sports entertainment events. Examples would include winners of presidential elections or reality TV shows.
Although novelty betting can’t compare to sports betting in market share, it offers some excellent betting opportunities. Also, because novelty bets are often placed on current events, they’re of potential interest to a greater variety of people than sports events.
Events commonly targeted for novelty betting markets include:
political events like elections
high-profile realty TV talent contests like the X Factor and Idols
awards ceremonies like the Oscars and Grammys
the gender of a baby born to a royal or celebrity couple
events in popular culture, like how long a band will stay together or how many seasons a television series will remain on air.
Bookmakers can offer markets on literally anything. Some have even got themselves into hot water by setting up politically incorrect markets – for example, offering odds on whether Barack Obama would be assassinated in office.
Novelty betting differs from sports betting in some important ways.Bookmakers use methods that have been refined over centuries, together with complex software, to calculate probabilities and determine the odds of outcomes in sports events. The same isn’t true for novelty betting.
The factors that will affect the outcome of a current event are harder to identify and measure, and more difficult to use in probability calculations. Because it’s difficult for a bookmaker to come up with accurate odds for novelty bets, you and the bookmaker are on even ground. If you’re very familiar with the topic you’re betting on, you may even have an advantage over the bookmaker.
Best bookies for novelty bets
Novelty bets aren’t offered by all bookies, and some offer a greater variety of novelty betting markets than others. Here are a few of the best bookmakers to use if you’re interested in placing novelty bets:
William Hill
William Hill emphasises television shows and politics in its novelty betting markets. Odds are offered on the outcomes of the most popular reality TV and talent shows, and on the results of major election campaigns in the United States and United Kingdom.
bet365 primarily offers novelty betting on television shows and politics. You can find the novelty betting markets listed under bet365 Sports under the ‘specials’ heading.
BOYLE Sports offers novelty betting markets for politics and entertainment. You can find the novelty betting markets listed in BOYLE Sports ‘sports’ section.
Novelty betting markets tend to focus on high profile current events. While there is no limit to what bookies are prepared to offer odds on, you will tend to find novelty betting markets falling into one of the categories below.
Betting on politics
Politics is a popular choice for bookies offering novelty betting markets. These will usually target parliamentary or presidential election results in the United Kingdom, United States and other high-profile countries. Some bookies have even gone so far as to offer odds on high-profile politicians being assassinated during their terms in office.
Example markets include:
Winner of US presidential elections
Winner of UK parliamentary elections
TV show betting
Reality TV shows are a popular target for bookies, particularly shows with a competitive element such as Strictly Come Dancing or The Voice. However, bookies do not limit themselves to real-life contests. Markets are also offered on the outcome of scripted TV shows, a past example being the odds offered on which character would rule Westeros at the end of Game of Thrones.
Events covered in TV show betting markets include:
Love Island
Strictly Come Dancing
I’m a Celebrity… Come Get Me Out of Here
Next actor to play James Bond
Next actor to play Dr Who
Betting on awards
From the Nobel prize to the Grammys, bookies will often offer odds on major awards ceremonies allowing you to back high-profile individuals to win major prizes and awards. These markets can get quite creative, with bookies going as far as to offer odds on the colour of the attire worn by celebrities for red carpet events.
Award events covered include:
Time Person of the Year
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Nobel Prize winner
Emmy Awards winners
Oscar winners
Grammy Award winners
Current event betting
Betting on current events is a catch-all category covering everything else that bookies feel they can set up a market for. Whether it’s the gender of a newborn in the British royal family, the predicted outcome of a celebrity relationship or even whether you’re in for an unusually cold winter, current event markets are the place to look for unusual special bets.
Example markets include:
Names of Royal newborns
Genders of Royal newborns
Countries to host major sports events (FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Rugby World Cup)
How to place novelty bets
Novelty betting is no different to betting on sports. You’ll need to sign up for an account at a bookmaker, verify your identity, fund your account and place a bet. You can read our comprehensive guide on how to place bets for a step-by-step guide to placing any kind of bet.
The only thing that can be tricky about placing novelty bets is finding the novelty betting section. Novelty betting may not be labelled as such in the bookmaker menu – for example, bet365 files its novelty betting markets under ‘specials’.
Your are browsing the special betting markets at bet365 and you find that bet365 is offering a market on which sportsperson will win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The market lists a range of contenders and the odds on each contender.
You select Formula One star, Lando Norris, to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year contest at odds of 12/1.
When placing the bet you are offered the opportunity to place an each-way bet, paying 1/5 of the odds you selected if he finishes in the top 3.
You select this option and place a £10 each-way bet, with £5 on Norris to win and £5 on Norris to place.
If Lando Norris wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year you will be paid out on both these bets, while if he finishes in the top three you will be paid out the place portion of your bet.
Novelty betting tips
While novelty betting markets may cover events or outcomes that don’t seem serious, like what colour a celebrity’s dress may be at the Oscars, that doesn’t mean that this form of betting doesn’t deserve a careful, serious approach.
Here are some tips for betting on novelty markets:
Bet on what you know. If you live, breathe and eat politics, then betting on election outcomes is a good option for you.
Accumulator bets are responsible for some of the most successful novelty bets in history. By stitching together a series of novelty bets you can generate massive odds if all your bets come through.
Lean on the experts. Celebrity gossip and political writers are immersed in the worlds they cover and may have inside lines to the movers and shakers in the domains they cover. Before placing a novelty bet make sure you find out what the experts are saying about the event you’re betting on.
Novelty betting pros and cons
More value bet opportunities
Perfect if your focus is current affairs
Adds excitement to TV shows and awards ceremonies
High risk due to increased unpredictability
Limited selection of betting markets
Individual markets only available for short periods
Not all bookies offer novelty or special bets
Novelty betting FAQ
How do I bet on novelty betting?
To bet on novelty betting you will need to visit your favourite bookie and look up the section of their website or app for special or novelty bets.
Can you place bets on any current event?
No, novelty betting markets tend to be quite limited compared to sports betting. Bookies will typically only offer a handful of markets covering the most high-profile current events.
Can you make money on novelty betting?
Yes, if you have a good sense of current events and the direction in which they are moving. In fact, if you have a better handle on current events than bookies it can be relatively easier to find value bets in novelty markets than for traditional sporting events.
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