Before the Internet transformed every element of the betting industry, a question like this would be an open and shut case. And that’s not to be disrespectful to the incredible skill and commitment it takes to become an elite weightlifter.
Still, it’s not a sport with a gambling element to it, like soccer or American football, and it does find itself as more of a spectator sport rather than a competition that actively discusses betting odds. Could this landscape change, though? There’s been a significant rise in niche sports betting markets over the last decade, but could weightlifting join this list?
The Importance of Reliable, Safe Gambling Platforms
Sports betting often follows a similar correlation. In the UK, for instance, the most popular sports betting market is soccer, which is the most watched sport. This is the same in the USA, where the NFL is the most watched sport and the most betted on sport.
Online gambling markets have spearheaded a whole new world of gambling, and it’s meant that those niche bettors who access smaller markets are now able to access a range of them from their smartphones. Regardless of the sports betting markets that people seek out, they must be able to provide a basis that allows their customers to browse these markets securely and place their wagers. Safe betting sites all have the same variables, including
- Solid site encryption—128-bit or 256-bit SSL encryption
- Licensing—is the site registered in your jurisdiction?
- A good track record in the gambling community, social media comments, forum posts, etc.
- A secure app, either on iOS or Android—preferably both
- Expert reviews and comments that attest to its security, no negative news coverage about data breaches, etc.
What’s Considered a Mainstream Betting Market?
It depends on where you are in the world because if you’re in New Zealand, boxing or soccer might be considered a niche sport, but if you’re in Mexico, boxing is one of the mainstream sports. For the sake of argument, we’re going to say a mainstream sports betting market has millions of customers in countries across several continents, some examples of this would be soccer, tennis, cricket, basketball, and Formula 1 (which seems to be becoming more and more mainstream by the day).
All these sports attract global viewing figures of hundreds of millions, even billions, in some cases. Comparatively, weightlifting viewership is much lower, reflected by the much smaller activity levels in their respective betting markets.
Factors That Could Push Weightlifting Into the Mainstream
Weightlifting attracts a massive audience during the Olympics and sees a higher level of engagement in betting markets, too. However, this comment applies to about two dozen Olympic athletics events. Once they end, weightlifting returns to a much smaller hardcore audience, mainly via YouTube clips and other social media shorts.
Big Streaming or TV Deals
This is the first point to address—viewership often equals a higher number of people betting on the event. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sport, a TV event, or anything else; the fuel of any gambling market is its popularity. So, if weightlifting can move away from the obscure corners of YouTube and the IWF can strike up a deal with a big streaming brand, this could be the ticket to becoming a more mainstream market.
A good example of this is in boxing, where Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom, two of the biggest in the world, were fractured, separate entities. They appeared on different broadcasting networks, fracturing the sport and harming its potential and audience growth figures. Both promoters have now signed with DAZN, meaning all their events are on one channel, streamlining the sport and bringing it to a much bigger audience.
A Crossover Star
Landmark names in the history of weightlifting, like Naim Süleymanoğlu and Ed Coan, will always be synonymous with the sport. In more recent memory, Eddie Hall, who holds the Strongman deadlift record, is active on social media and helping to bring attention to the sport, using popular methods to shine a light on weightlifting.
However, the rise of a once-in-a-century crossover star is one of the most impactful ways a sport can break out of niche circles and into the mainstream, and once it does, the betting market is likely to follow it. The chances of this are slim, really; when we say crossover megastar, we’re talking about the likes of Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson in boxing, Michael Phelps in swimming, Usain Bolt in athletics, etc.
Betting Market Innovation
Another factor that could bring weightlifting betting into the mainstream is the rise of innovation or new markets that can grab a casual audience. This could come in many forms, whether it’s specific to weightlifting, in-play markets, or innovative welcome bonuses. Again, as we have mentioned, it all stems from popularity, and anything that can pique interest has the potential to propel weightlifting betting markets. In this current age where pop culture has the power to determine what’s hot and what’s not, who’s to say weightlifting won’t skyrocket soon?
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, for weightlifting to become mainstream, it will have to have at least two of the three factors we touched on in the last section. The market is the key driving force. Even many people who go to the gym and are interested in lifting weights will not go out of their way to bet on weightlifting tournaments.
They might occasionally watch the prominent IWF events or maybe the odd Eddie Hall short on social media, but all of this falls under the sort of interest we see in other types of sports betting markets. It’ll take a huge shift in pop culture for weightlifting to obtain the sort of enormous viewership we see in mainstream sports and their respective betting markets.
However, it’s not out of the realm of impossibility, given that online betting is experiencing a golden age. The number of markets has increased tenfold over the last decade and a half, with niche sports benefiting, including more weightlifting betting markets on prominent sports betting sites.
However, the bottom line is that unless there’s a spike in the number of people wanting to bet on weightlifting, it’s unlikely to change much over the next few years, and the betting market will likely remain on the periphery.