Felix Upton on March 27, 2023
AEW is keeping a close eye on WWE’s activities, like always. Tony Khan also certainly noticed that WWE is trying to legalize betting on their matches. WWE is doing things differently, but Tony Khan claims that AEW is ahead of their competition.
The Bet Las Vegas & The Sporting Tribune recently spoke with Tony Khan when the subject of gambling came up. Tony Khan was happy to talk about his company’s partnership with DraftKings, a company that is now getting real estate on the canvas of their ring mats.
“We’re already doing it. It’s a little interesting to see all this talk about it because DraftKings has a great partnership with AEW, and they’re offering propositions on all events. It’s a huge sponsorship for us with DraftKings, and it’s been happening. If people would like to get action on the big events, specifically Double or Nothing, there are frequently great props and match betting on the Double or Nothing main event and some details around the show.”
“When Double or Nothing comes to Las Vegas, you will be able to wager on it on DraftKings. They are a great sponsor for AEW and it’s been a great partnership. I’ve read some things about potentially more of that kind of action, but from what I’ve seen, there’s already a lot of that going on through our partnership with DraftKings.”
In case you’re wondering how WWE’s efforts to legalize gambling on their matches is going, it’s not a success so far. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the company has hit a couple of roadblocks along the way so far.
“They’re not very receptive to it; not WWE, but the [gaming] commissions. One of the commissions pretty much said no. … MGM Grand, the books there don’t want to take any action on professional wrestling. They just thought that the idea was, on the surface, completely ludicrous. Most states do not allow betting on the Academy Awards. … There are states that do.
I think there’s seven. And [WWE’s] thing was, ‘If you can bet on the Academy Awards, why can’t you bet on us? And we’ll do the same safeguards the Academy Awards do.’ If it were to happen — we’ve talked about this before — it’s just an incredible headache to the creative team, the wrestlers, everyone. I don’t expect anything soon, but they’re trying in several states, and we’ll see what happens.”
We will have to see if WWE is able to lock down permission to allow betting on their matches. If they are able to make it legal, then the entire creative process would have to change.
Competitors in big matches would not be allowed to know who is going to win. Results would also have to be figured out and locked down solid 100% months in advance. Needless to say, that would change a lot about how WWE writes their stories, because anything can happen in pro wrestling.
Do you think WWE is going to get gambling legalized on their matches? Would you throw down cash on a WWE bet at a casino? Sound off in the comments!
March 27, 2023 2:15 pm
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