People have been betting in the UK for hundreds of years, and betting has become entwined with national life, from the National Lottery to the Grand National.
In fact, the UK betting sector is one of the most competitive in the world, and this means that even online bookmakers ranking near the top when it comes to customer base are always looking for new markets to attract punters.
This can often mean that a bookie takes an unusual approach, finding ways to earn publicity from a recent event or just to generate interest.
Take a look at the Special Markets section of your favourite bookmaker site and you may well find some unusual markets to bet on. Here are some of the most notable.
Who Will Be The Next James Bond?
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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Every year there are thriving markets set up on major film awards, most notably the Oscars, but there are also some unusual film betting options, including the identity of the next James Bond.
Seven actors have played the famous role, although David Niven and George Lazenby only donned the dinner jacket and Walther PPK once.
Ever since the latest actor to take on the job, Daniel Craig, announced that No Time To Die (2021) would be his last Bond outing, the Bond betting markets have been buzzing with speculation, though much of it appears to be ill-informed.
A quick check of the various Bond markets available right now will reveal that pretty much every male actor with any profile whatsoever has been given a price, from Henry Cavil and Tom Hardy to Daniel Radcliffe, Piers Morgan and Angelina Jolie!
However, it has to be said that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has now jumped ahead of the pack!
Aliens!
Credit: 20th Century Studios
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The various extra-terrestrial markets offered by UK bookmakers tend to be short-term markets, usually put up in response to space-related news, such as reports of unusual radio signals, or the news that Winston Churchill once wrote an essay on the existence of life on other planets.
The likelihood is not that far-fetched. With up to two billion planets out there, there is surely a chance that life of some form exists in other corners of the Galaxy, and plenty of people have wagered on these markets over the years, though no one has yet collected on an alien bet.
These markets typically have a time-limited nature, so you will usually be betting on whether aliens will be discovered before the end of the year, the end of the decade or, at least in the 1990s, by the end of the century, though that is not a bet many would be able to collect on in 2022!
The Weather
Credit: Pexels
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The weather has long been an obsession in the UK, and so it is only natural that the land of rain, wind, mist, fog, and more rain should, from time to time, produce weather-related betting markets.
Weather betting markets vary, and can be related to temperature during the summer months, but the most familiar weather betting action comes around every year as we head into December and focuses on the possibility of a so-called ‘white Christmas’.
Of course, bookmakers being what they are, the definition of ‘white Christmas’ has not been left as a vague statement. For many of us, this means a blanket of snow lying on the ground, but that isn’t very satisfactory when you are setting a betting market.
In fact, bookies, have very specific rules relating to the determination of this market, and these will vary slightly according to which bookmaker you use.
The Meteorological Office once defined a white Christmas as snow falling on its London headquarters, but it has moved on from that office and that definition. The Met Office now declares a white Christmas if a single snowflake is observed at any of its 270 weather stations, even if the snowflake does not land.
Some bookmakers go with the official Met Office definition, while others base this market around snow being seen at any of the UK’s 25 major airports.
Gatorade Rainbow
Credit: Pexels
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The NFL is a globally popular competition and it has a strong following in the UK, which hosts a few games every season. Millions tune in to watch the Super Bowl and that means some of the US traditions around NFL betting have crossed the Atlantic.
One of the most unusual relates to the victory celebrations for the winning team. Traditionally, the winning coach has a large bucket of Gatorade poured over him, but as the sports drink is available in many flavours, viewers can never be sure which colour will feature in any given year.
Right now, you can bet on the 2022 Super Bowl Gatorade market, and orange leads the betting, which is not surprising as this has been the winning colour five times since 2001. Clear (four), yellow (three), blue (three) and purple (two) are the other main options in this colourful but frivolous market.
If you want to place some unusual and more traditional sports bets, you can find a bookmaker for that at Match.Center which compiles lists of reliable bookmakers and their offers.
What do you make of this feature? Are there any odd things that you ended up betting on in 2022? Let us know in the comments below.
What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages! And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out our podcast, The Small Screen Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts!
These are so much better than I thought. Sometimes information about aliens makes me feel suspicious.