WWE's Attempts To Open The Door For Wrestling Betting Reportedly Not Going Well

Possibly the most left-field wrestling news story of 2023 thus far came last Wednesday with the report that WWE was in talks with gambling regulators in Michigan and Colorado to map out a way that pro wrestling results could legally be bet on at sportsbooks. The report stated that WWE would follow the model that allows gambling on award shows in some states, locking down results months in advance, using accounting firm Ernst & Young to secure them, and closing betting before the wrestlers and other personnel were told of the creative direction for the matches in question. However, on Wrestling Observer Radio for F4WOnline subscribers late last night, Dave Meltzer reported that the talks are not going well for WWE.

"They're not very receptive to it; not WWE, but the [gaming] commissions," Meltzer said. "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."

Meltzer characterized it as "a disaster waiting to happen" because of how easily insider information could leak. For example, the UFC, a genuine competitive sport, is currently wrapped up in investigations stemming from a slew of intertwined allegations involving, among other things, Glory MMA coach James Krause monetizing insider information about fighter injuries.