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The table tennis betting phenomenon
Why betting on table tennis is surging, especially in states such as Colorado and Oregon.
When the Olympics are held, the average sports fan is introduced to niche sports that don’t cross their minds for the 47 months between Olympic games. Examples of that include race walking, fencing and, for a long time, table tennis.
However, table tennis has graduated from being a niche sport to a craze in some parts of the U.S. In states such as Oregon and Colorado, the betting handle for table tennis often passes major sports such as hockey, soccer, golf, tennis and MMA.
While it’s certainly a fun game to play while hanging out with friends, and it could be a captivating game to watch for a few minutes while scrolling through channels, it’s shocking to see table tennis rank this highly among sports bettors. What is the source of the table tennis betting phenomenon?
It started with the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns were a bleak time during our world’s history. While certainly not the most important factor, the lack of sports definitely added to the overall depressing nature of that time. The NHL, NBA and college basketball all shut down their seasons in mid-March. Most sports didn’t return until late July.
This timeline coincided with the rapid growth of sports betting in the United States. PASPA was repealed in 2018 and more and more states were legalizing sports betting across the country. Those new bettors now had nothing to bet on.
Enter table tennis. Often played in dark, quiet gyms in remote locations in Europe and Asia, table tennis players braved the pandemic to put out a product. Sports fans and sports bettors loved it, as it somewhat quenched their appetite for live competition and action.
These matches were often streamed on YouTube with no play-by-play or commentary. The scoreboard was manually flipped by a single official. Eventually, some sports betting apps started streaming the action inside their own apps.
Interest didn’t end when other sports returned
There are a lot of activities people participated in during the pandemic that they immediately halted once life returned to somewhat normal. Most of us are no longer baking bread or having happy hours on Zoom. One would figure that the table tennis craze would have a similar fate, but that hasn’t been the case.
Table tennis is the fourth-most popular sport to bet on in Oregon, behind only football, basketball and baseball. Table tennis generates more betting action than the NHL, UFC, soccer, tennis and golf. Even more impressively, it continues to grow.
In 2022, $18.5 million was bet on the sport in Oregon. The next year, that number rose to $57 million. There were 890,000 bets placed on table tennis in Oregon in 2023. Half way through 2024, that number is at 617,000.
Oregon isn’t the only sport where table tennis betting remains popular. In June of 2024, Colorado reported that table tennis received $151 million in total bets, or more than 5% of the state’s monthly betting handle. That was better than hockey, golf and MMA.
Why is it so popular?
If you look at the format and style of table tennis betting, you’ll be quick to figure out why betting on the event is so popular.
There are games constantly being played; from the remote hours of the morning long after the last MLB pitch of the night is thrown to the middle of the afternoon on a random Tuesday, there is likely a table tennis match happening somewhere in the world that can be wagered upon.
The action is quick. Matches take about 15 minutes on average, and a new match is always just minutes away. You don’t have to wait long to have your wager graded.
What’s more, the action often features wild line swings, especially during live betting. It’s not uncommon for someone to go down a few points, become a big underdog, then come back and win the match.
Most table tennis matches with odds that are offered by sportsbook operators are through the TT Elite Series based in Poland. The organization points out on its website that players participating in matches are prohibited from betting on the sport.