WWE is no longer pursuing the possibility of betting on pre-determined matches, as confirmed by TKO COO Mark Shapiro. Joining CNBC’s Alex Sherman this week to discuss a variety of topics, Shapiro clarified that fans won’t be betting on matches from the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.
“It’s not happening. We’re not doing that. We’re scripted. Years ago, I ran Dick Clark Productions. We had enough of a challenge keeping the American Music Awards and the Golden Globe Award winners under wraps with an auditor that was there.
“We’re not going to be asking Triple H/Paul Levesque, who runs our creative, to keep his scripts so under wraps that we can start sports betting. It just doesn’t jive.”
It was reported back in May that WWE was interested in taking bets on matches, which already happens from third parties like BetOnline. Immediately, there was criticism of the idea, with questions raised about whether it was legal to bet on a result that has been already decided.
Many also questioned how WWE would keep creative plans under wrap to avoid leaks, with concerns that talent wouldn’t know results until too late to make adequate preparations. The Montreal Screwjob was brought up as proof the idea wouldn’t work, given the risk of results changing on the fly in the ring.
WWE allows some wagers on aspects of matches via FanDuel, but for now, betting on results is off the table within the promotion. Instead, fans will have to remain hooked on match results due to the storytelling involved, rather than any financial incentive.