Betting On Big Brother
The online gambling industry has begun showing increased interest in the entertainment industry, especially reality shows. The United States was swamped with bets revolving around the American Idol, while back in the UK, Big Brother is grabbing bettors' attention.
Big Brother Is Watching You!
Actually, to be precise, the opposite is true - according to media ratings, everyone is watching Big Brother! Reality shows have become the greatest hits on TV channels. In a recent airing of Big Brother, ratings peaked with a 15-minute period when 8.1 million viewers were watching – that is a whopping 37% share!
People are bored with watching the same junkie soap operas or political dramas – they want to see what is happening in the world of real live people, and better than anything, they want to impact the outcome of the show. The greatest part of the reality shows are when people get to vote on their favourite star (in the case of the American Idols) or their least favourite person (in the case of Big Brother). When viewers feel that they have a direct impact on the outcome of the show, the sensation of power is abound.
This feeling of power and control is why these shows are also very popular in the Online Casino industry. Online gambling sites have been offering odds on the outcome of these shows since Day One. Viewers feel that if they already have an impact on the outcome of the show by voting, they may as well make some money out of it too. Most online casinos are offering odds that Pete the Tourette's sufferer will win the series. Others, such as Richard the Sex Terrorist, is listed at 17.00 odds, while Lea is listed with great 41.00 odds.
Several analysts in the online casino industry have been discussing the growing trend of gambling sites offering odds for events in the entertainment industry. These odds can range from whether Star X will marry Star Y or whether Musician X will win another Grammy Award. Betting on the outcome of reality shows counts for a huge chunk of the entertainment betting trend – and is increasing as these shows reach the season's closure.
Betting on the entertainment scene is probably considered by some to be less 'evil' than regular casino betting. It could be viewed as softer betting because it does not have all the associations of heavy gambling. This type of betting still offers all the thrills and excitement of a game of cards or spin of a roulette wheel, but allows the bettor a sensation of culture when placing a bit on something to do with entertainment.
