A current report in Colorado mixed all of the sports activities betting exercise because the state legalized it in 2019. And it provided fairly the distinctive perception on sports activities betting habits within the Centennial State.
Colorado is dwelling to each the Colorado Avalanche and the University of Denver, a pair of hockey powerhouses at their respective ranges. The Avalanche gained the Stanley Cup in 2022 and the Pioneers gained the NCAA nationwide championship three of the final 5 years.
However, Colorado sports activities bettors wagered extra on desk tennis than ice hockey.
In the final seven years, bettors have risked $958.8 million on hockey and $989.2 million on desk tennis, in line with numbers launched by the Colorado Division of Gaming and picked up by the Denver Post.
In complete, the state has seen greater than $30.6 billion wagered since legalization, with gross income reaching $2.33 billion.
Table Tennis Offers Unique Betting Windows
Betting a lot on desk tennis could appear uncommon in a rustic that’s infatuated with workforce sports activities like soccer, basketball, and baseball. But Colorado launched sports activities betting firstly of the COVID-19 pandemic. The skilled leagues of the foremost American workforce sports activities had been paused.
As a outcome, desk tennis betting was extremely well-liked throughout these early days of the shutdowns. One Nevada gambler turned $50 into $10,000 on a Ukrainian desk tennis parlay in March 2020. There wasn’t a lot else to guess on.
Coloradans’ love of betting on the game, nevertheless, goes past most states. In March 2021, a yr after the beginning of the pandemic, and lengthy after the restart of main American sports activities, Coloradans nonetheless wagered $8.8 million on the game. One bettor advised Yahoo Sports that betting on a sport outdoors the mainstream was a part of the attraction.
“It kind of makes it exciting,” the bettor mentioned. “There’s a lot of volatility.”
The sport gives loads of motion as nicely, with matches going down in different elements of the world all through the day. That contains betting home windows when mainstream American sports activities may not be taking part in, corresponding to mornings within the U.S.
Table tennis betting additionally topped wagering totals on golf, combined martial arts, boxing, and motorsports.
Is There A Problem?
While the numbers could also be humorous to some extent, drawback playing specialists are involved that the desk tennis numbers could sign a much bigger drawback.
“The sheer volume of money being thrown at table tennis bets in Colorado is nothing short of alarming,” ODAAT Gambling Awareness posted on Instagram. The feed is run by a recovering playing addict.
“It’s a stark reminder that we’re teetering on the edge of something serious – an epidemic of gambling addiction that’s growing in ways most people don’t even realize. When niche sports like ping-pong are pulling in massive wagers, it’s not just about entertainment anymore. It’s about an industry that thrives on keeping people hooked, no matter the consequences.”
State lawmakers are actually contemplating a bipartisan invoice meant to put restrictions on the sports activities betting business. That would come with banning prop betting, limiting promoting, and limiting bettors to 5 deposits inside 24 hours.
Inside The Numbers
Beyond desk tennis, the Division of Gaming numbers supply some extra perception on Colorado betting habits.
While soccer is usually the preferred betting choice for many Americans, basketball was the preferred in Colorado, with a 23.9% share of betting ($7.3 billion). Pro and school soccer accounted for simply 18% ($5.5 billion), adopted by baseball at 10% ($3.1 billion).
Parlay betting was some of the well-liked choices within the Centennial State, coming in simply behind basketball at 21.4% ($6.6 billion). Parlays stay extraordinarily well-liked amongst American prognosticators and proceed to spice up sportsbook revenues.
In complete, sportsbooks have had a 7.6% maintain share since 2019 to achieve $2.33 billion in income. Considering the state’s 10% tax charge, operators stored nearly $2.1 billion earlier than subtracting working prices.
The American Gaming Association not too long ago reported the U.S. industrial gaming business noticed record-breaking on line casino income of $783.6 billion in 2025, a 9.1% improve from 2024. Of that, sports activities betting accounted for $16.89 billion, a 22.7% leap from 2024.
