Sports Betting: How about the hot dog eating contest?

Let's face it, the summer months are the slowest as far as sports betting is concerned and bettors from all over the world will have to look at some funky bets. Probably the most entertaining "sports betting" event at the beginning of July is the hot dog eating contest at Nathan's, which is held every Fourth of July in Coney Island, NY. Whether for the lack of other sports to bet on or for pure patriotism, the hot dog eating contest is indeed the most popular sports betting event of the month. And granted it's popularity, especially among the male bettors, you probably already know the deal, but here are the basics just in case.

The Nathan's hot dog eating contest is held every 4th of July in Coney Island, New York, where a bunch of guys are racing against the clock to chow down as many hotdogs as possible, with the winner taking home the Mustard Yellow belt. For years now it has been a two-horse race between American competitor Joey Chestnut and his Japanese adversary Takeru Kobayashi. The Japanese competitive eater (yeah, we just made that up) is leading big time on Chestnut, but this year the sports betting websites are behind Joey. The popular online sportsbook Bodog Sports, which has posted odds on the hot dog eating contest since we can remember, has made Joey Chestnut the 2009 Nathan's favorite with odds 20/31. Meanwhile Takeru Kobayashi is the underdog with odds to win the hotdog eating contest set at 21/20. The event will actually be televised on ESPN and you can catch it on 4th of July if you are not grilling outside.

Published on 07/02/2009