WWE Superstars Concerned About Company’s Plan To Legalize Betting

WWE wants to make as much money as they can, and betting on their matches could make them a lot of cash. It seems that they are hitting roadblocks on their quest to legalize gambling on their matches, and talent is totally in the dark.

WWE was actively pursuing the legalization of betting on its matches, employing the services of accounting firm Ernst & Young. The states of Michigan, Colorado, and Indiana were identified as the primary areas of focus. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to make any headway to accomplish that yet.

Sean Sapp noted behind Fightful’s paywall that the potential of legalizing betting on matches caused some concerns, but they “died down pretty quickly as they don’t think it’s a real possibility.” It was also noted that talent were not briefed about this potential change.

Fightful was told by WWE talent that they haven’t really been briefed about the possibility of WWE getting into the gambling scope, and many were surprised by some of the details that had been outlined. Specifically, there were concerns around the results of matches not being disclosed until a few hours ahead, not because that’s out of the ordinary, but because if could affect long-term input into their stories. 

A longtime talent provided a comment to the outlet as well. It was said that talent really don’t know the results of their matches until just before the show anyway. So, holding winners secret for legalized betting might not be that big of a deal.

“Usually, we don’t know the results of matches until about then anyway. There have been world title matches where people didn’t know until shortly before the match, so that won’t necessarily be that different. The concern comes in to where and what we can pitch, how that affects things, and the ability to get things changed that talent doesn’t agree with. There will be a lot of figuring out where and why changes are pushed for and from, and I think that this is probably more trouble than it’s worth,” one longtime talent said. 

It was also noted that, “those that we spoke to say they haven’t heard much about the story since it first broke a couple of months ago, and they don’t expect anything to come of it.”

WWE would have to change a lot about their creative system if they legalized betting on matches. Those results would have to be determined a long time in advance and kept secret until the match. Only time will tell if that ever happens, but there are still places online where you can bet on WWE.

What’s your take on WWE legalizing betting on matches? Is it a good idea? Sound off in the comments!