“American Idol” isn’t hurting just in the ratings these days. Now, no one wants to bet on it, either.
Gambling911.com — a Web site that tracks online sports betting odds but also reports on reality-show odds as a sidelight — says that bettor interest in “Idol” has fallen sharply.
“March, April, May were traditionally among our most trafficked periods with ‘American Idol’ airing,” Payton O’Brien, a senior editor at Gambling911.com said on the site.
No more, he says.
“Betting interest in the show started to dwindle two years ago,” O’Brien says.
So now, because of the lack of interest, says the site, it’s going to stop carrying “Idol” odds.
Betting on reality shows is — like online sports betting — technically illegal in the US
But that apparently has not stopped thousands of people from trying to make money using their talent-picking instincts by betting with off-shore bookmakers on the outcome of the show.
The site says it has seen “some interest” from bettors looking for odds on “Dancing With the Stars” contestants and will continue to carry odds for the rival series.