With sports betting growing worldwide, naturally sportsbooks have looked for more ways of developing their offers, and an increase in different, less traditional betting markets has yielded. Sure, betting on the outcome of sports matches and fixtures will always be the primary venue for bookmakers and punters alike, but the advent of new markets has certainly given betting a more accessible feel. From betting on the outcome of reality TV game shows, through to who will become the next Prime Minister or President, novelty betting within the online gambling sphere has boomed in recent times.
One frequent vocation for public intrigue is baby betting. From celebrities to royals, the general public are always fascinated at the prospect of a famous baby. Sure, baby betting is far from sports betting with its bookmaker offers and there isn’t perhaps the variety within the marketplace that there is with some other novelty betting niches, but baby betting, being a fun and entertaining pastime, is growing.
Royal Baby Betting
One of the most important markets within the world of baby betting is royal baby betting. And traditionally, baby betting odds have been limited to royal baby name and gender bets. Intrigue around the royal families of all countries tends to operate at fever pitch in the UK, with the aire to the throne often being a huge talking point for bookmakers and if babies are born, speculation often reigns around what the names or genders of the next royal baby will be.
But nowadays, baby betting also covers other celebrities on due dates, genders, names, and more.
Naming the Baby
As the baby betting market has boomed, trying to guess the name of the baby is a pub favourite that has become big business in the novelty betting market. With more and more unique names making their way into public prominence in recent years, punters have a plethora of betting opportunities at their disposal and the element of complete guesswork about it can provide entertainment, particularly for rookie punters.
The way in which royal and celebrity figures are viewed and revered in modern society also plays a huge impact on the names in which babies could be named and punters who have plenty of knowledge on their chosen subjects, can pick up some good returns with some informed punts.
- Back in 2013, Kate Middleton and Prince William named their first-born George Alexander Louis. U.K. bookmakers took in more than £1.6 million ($2.46 million) in baby-name bets.
William Hill, which offered 50 names to choose from including Thatcher at 250/1, took in more than £400,000, with the average baby-name bet being £6.20. Customers of Irish betting firm Paddy Power also placed around £500,000 in baby bets with the company. Ladbrokes, one of Britain’s largest bookmakers, took over £360,000 in royal bets, and its customers could bet on such names as George(2/1) and more unusual options like Elvis, Barack and even Psy (after the South Korean pop idol).
- When Prince Harry and his wife Meghan gave birth to a baby boy in 2019, Britain’s bookmakers reported great interest in the names Alexander, James, Philip and Arthur, as well as speculation about the name Spencer, the maiden name of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. The boy’s name is Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
- In 2021 bookmakers accepted bets on the most likely name for a new baby girl of Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie. Charlotte (3/1) and Josephine (5/1) and Sephira ( 6/1) topped the list. More unusual options included Borissa (100/1), Theresa (500/1) and Allegra (500/1). The pair named the girls Romy Iris Charlotte.
Gender Baby Betting
Betting on any 50/50 market is always popular with sports and novelty betting fans. In sport, guessing which team will win the toss in a game of cricket is always popular among betting fans. That mantra has transcended into the world of baby betting.
Gender guessing when it comes to baby betting is hardly rocket science and punters ultimately have very little say when it comes to predicting the outcome but it can be a really entertaining tool. For example, before Rihanna gave birth to a baby boy in 2022, you could bet on the baby’s gender, with a boy option offered at 10/13, and a girl option – at 1/1.
When Will the Baby Be Born
Whilst for many, the ceremony of having a baby is a treasured and unique experience for all, novelty betting markets have wasted no time in seeing the potential within the marketplace for a betting opportunity.
Burgeoning celebrity relationships always attract social media hits and public interest and being able to bet which couples will have a baby and when the baby will be born has developed into a viable betting option for both punter and bookmaker.
Finding conventional betting markets has become a tougher ask these days, with so many novelty offerings available to those who bet.
Baby betting has become a big part of that and reproducing being one of the staples of society, the impact of baby betting is showing no sign of slowing.