Betting on football, basketball, or tennis is pretty common nowadays, but there are bettors who love strange sports. We’re not just talking about rolling the dice on a friendly bet. There are strange sports out there alive for centuries that range from arm wrestling to snorkeling and chasing a roll of cheese down a hill (not kidding).
If you think that this sport sounds like something that involves corn and holes, you’re absolutely right. The lawn game is played between teams that take parts, throwing fabric bags full of corn at an angled board with a hole. And it’s not played only in rural areas on the 4th of July. As a matter of fact, it has turned into a pro sport thanks to the American Cornhole League.
Wherever there’s a pro league, there’s betting involved as well. Cornhole betting is rare, but some new sports betting sites offer it. You can bet on moneylines, outrights, and in other markets. It surely is a strange sport to bet on, but somehow, it’s not the funniest betting idea on our list.
Many of you don’t even consider harness racing strange. It’s still horse racing, but the racing includes a specific gait. The horses pull a wheeled cart or a chariot occupied by a driver, and yes, that reminds us of the ancient chariot races that were a popular Olympic sport.
With so many races over a year, harness racing betting is quite popular. You’ll find it at most racebooks, sometimes under the name trotting or the trots.
Yes, curling is that strange sport you see on TV with people who clean the floor while the thingies race to the end. It’s a trendy sport among fans and sports betting sites. Did you know that curling has been a winter Olympics sport since 1998? It includes men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles tournaments, with numerous Olympic curling betting markets in tow.
If you’re a fan and understand the game’s rules, you shouldn’t think twice before placing a bet.
Now we’re into strange sports territory. First, let’s say a word or two about this strange-sounding sport. It’s held annually in Beaver, Oklahoma, and involves the official World Championship Cow Chip Throwing Contest that rewards the player who can toss a dry cow turd the furthest. That’s not a joke, and if you think it’s gross, you’re right.
This is one of those weird things you can bet on in sports, but it’s popular nonetheless. You won’t find it on any sportsbook, but US betting sites should have it when the time arrives. If you want to try it, the residents will tell you that licking your fingers between two throws will give you a bit of good luck and a better grip, which is just insane. We’d certainly throw in a buck or two on the winner but wouldn’t try it ourselves.
Players do whatever it takes to win.
We all love playing rock, paper, scissors. It’s an entertaining game that can settle disputes between friends or family, and we played it a lot when we were kids. It evolved past a simple child’s game, though, becoming a pro sport governed by the World Rock Paper Scissors Association. Now, imagine being able to bet on the outcome of each round. Rock, paper, scissors betting online is a reality, giving you a chance to bet on any of the three options.
Betting on F1 racing is one thing, but betting on a reindeer race? It’s a fast sport that involves reindeer tugging skiing jockeys behind them, and it’s as wild as it sounds. We’d love to place money on a competition that hopefully includes Rudolph and Santa’s other helpers.
The first reindeer race World Cup was held in 2016. It’s a more competitive race than you think and should have better odds than the top horse races. This sport is popular in the Arctic region, so you’ll find it at a local bookmaker.
Remember the fun game from the Harry Potter movies that made us feel so existed? It did exist for a while, thanks to the Quidditch Premier League that opened in the UK in 2016. An International Quidditch Association was established to govern the sport, which oversees the leagues and competitions that happen sporadically around the world.
You can place a quidditch bet on most of these competitions, but don’t expect to see flying brooms. It has a bit more down-to-the-ground approach, but nonetheless it is exciting and great to bet on.
Betting on arm wrestling always happens between spectators, but that’s an informal and small-scale approach. The best betting sites will offer arm wrestling betting on a much larger scale, covering the most important competitions for this unusual sport.
Did you know there’s probably an arm wrestling league near your location? It can be a fun way to earn some money fast. There’s even a World Armwrestling League based in Chicago where the top competitors from all over the world try to beat their competitors. The odds and markets are interesting, too, so don’t sleep on this particular sport.
This one looks like a typo, but it’s actually an old sport that’s going through a renaissance thanks to betting on Jai Alai. Jai Alai is a version of the Basque pelota and, most notably, resembles racketball. The term was coined in the late XIX century.
While Jai Alai betting markets are rarely available at the biggest bookies, niche betting sites will have them. Keep an eye on these bets as they often have much better odds than globally popular matches in the NFL or football.
Snorkeling is fun, especially in a tropical setting where you can see all kinds of fish underwater. No one in their right mind would snorkel in a bog unless we’re talking about a competition you can bet on. Bog snorkeling is a sport where competitors aim to snorkel through muddy waters twice in 60 yards. The course is completed without swimming, using only the flipper power. It’s more exciting and messier than it sounds and is one of funny sports bet ideas we’ve seen.
We have numerous questions regarding the sport, but we’re not going to ask them now. Why? Because the next weird sport to bet on involves a chicken.
Chicken bingo has been described as a sudden death round of bingo where a chicken walks across a big board on the ground and takes a poop. If you’ve bet on the correct number, congrats – you have the chicken to thank.
This is by far one of the weirdest things you can bet on in sports. You’re leaving all your luck to a single chicken.
Sumo wrestling is a strange sport and an even stranger one to bet on. However, it’s not as uncommon or weird as chicken bingo or some other sports on this list. Think that sumo betting is like betting on sports, but instead of chiselled MMA fighters, you’re putting your money on obese fighters battling it out for a crown.
We all know that the WWE is rigged, but, let’s be honest – it’s nonetheless entertaining. The markets include showdown winners, a lot of props, and outrights for tournaments. It’s one of the top shows on Earth, so it’s not surprising that many WWE betting sites are available on the web.
Keep an eye on live WWE bets. They can be surprisingly good and fun to put your money on.
Riding a unicycle is challenging even on the street but in the mountains? That’s a sport for superheroes! Regardless, it’s exciting with many competitions, many of which you can bet on.
Since this is a very niche market, you won’t find it that common, but there are betting sites that offer it. Due to being a niche market, the odds should be pretty competitive, so give mountain unicycling betting a try.
Drones are an excellent gadget for surveillance and having fun. They’ve been used for unique wedding and party shots and music videos, but some people have developed a more innovative idea – drone racing. Flying a drone is not as easy as it sounds, and racing is even more complicated.
With races going on all year long around the world, you get plenty of markets to bet on the thing. It’s just like F1, but with drones. Well, similar, at least. Betting on drone racing is a fun way to break the mold and try your luck at something other than football.
It’s weird, though, since they’re machines.
Unlike the other sports on this list, kabaddi is not that weird in Asia. It’s a well-developed sport with plenty of markets to bet on. As a matter of fact, the Indian VIVO Pro Kabaddi League has secured deals worth millions and features the best kabaddi players in the world.
Plus, betting on kabaddi is available at nearly any betting site and comes with fantastic odds.
Those can be tricky to learn since it doesn’t cover the basics of common sports we find in Europe. You should try it, even if you don’t understand the rules.
Horse racing is an established and royal sport. The horses that run in those races are from reputable owners and are racing breeds. Not every horse can race, and donkeys are out of the question. Or are they? Donkey races are popular in Mexico and Colorado, known as Pack burro racing.
You can bet on them, of course. These days, you can bet on anything that passes for a sport. This one definitely fits that mold, not to mention that donkeys are not nearly as fast as horses and prefer to just donkey around.
Pigeons saved the day in World War II more times than anyone could count. Over half a century later, people decided not to use their smarts but to put them in a race against each other. This is the equivalent shocker of a reindeer race, except it happens in the air.
Pigeon racing betting is quite popular as a niche market and often has great odds. If you happen to spot it at a betting site, don’t hesitate to put a bet on Scruffy, Zippy, or Baldy.
There are some weird things you can bet on in sports, but no weirder than the sports on this list. Whether it’s donkey racing or playing the gross chicken bingo, these sports can bring you an excellent return thanks to the fact they’re niche markets. BetZillion is where bets come to life.
