Colorado Bets Big on Table Tennis, Outpacing Hockey and Other Sports

Colorado sports bettors have shown a surprising preference for table tennis over hockey, with $989.2 million wagered on table tennis compared to $958.8 million on hockey since the state legalized sports betting in 2019. This trend is particularly notable given Colorado's strong hockey presence, with the Colorado Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 and the University of Denver's Pioneers winning the NCAA national championship three times in the last five years.

The popularity of table tennis betting in Colorado can be attributed to several factors. One significant factor is the timing of the state's legalization of sports betting, which coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the early days of the shutdowns, professional leagues of major American team sports were paused, leaving table tennis as a popular betting option. For instance, one Nevada gambler turned $50 into $10,000 on a Ukrainian table tennis parlay in March 2020. Even a year after the start of the pandemic, in March 2021, Coloradans still wagered $8.8 million on table tennis. A bettor told Yahoo Sports that betting on a sport outside the mainstream was part of the appeal, stating, “It kind of makes it exciting. There’s a lot of volatility.”

Table tennis betting has also topped wagering totals on other sports such as golf, mixed martial arts, boxing, and motorsports. This trend highlights the unique betting windows offered by table tennis, with matches taking place throughout the day in various parts of the world. This includes times when mainstream American sports might not be playing, such as mornings in the U.S. Beyond table tennis, basketball was the most popular betting option in Colorado, with a 23.9% share of betting ($7.3 billion), followed by football at 18% ($5.5 billion) and baseball at 10% ($3.1 billion).