Sports bettors turning to beer pong and marble racing to get their fix

Obscure sports taking the spotlight with mainstream leagues on the sidelines

WATERLOO REGION — Ryan Métivier never thought he’d be betting on beer pong.

The drinking game, which sees competitors try to throw a ping pong ball across a table into a cup of beer, is popular on the college party circuit but not something you usually see listed as an event on a sports betting website.

But with mainstream leagues such as the NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sports bettors are forced to get their fix elsewhere.

That means wagers are pouring in on oddities such as beer pong, marble racing and the outcomes of computer simulated sports games, among others.

“Once the pandemic hit, one by one things dropped off,” said Métivier, who is also an editor and writer for Sports Betting Dime, a website that dishes out betting odds and advice. “There aren’t a whole lot of options out there.”

Bettors are suddenly searching for value in Belarusian soccer leagues and on baseball diamonds in Nicaragua.

Heck, you can even bet on which actor will play Joe Exotic if the hit reality show “Tiger King” ever becomes a feature film, or try to predict whether United States President Donald Trump will win re-election in November.

Besting beer pong took some research.

Métivier studied the social media accounts of the “athletes” taking part in the competition who were listed on the wagering website he frequents. The Cambridge resident watched old videos to see if competitors had a sporty look and leaned heavy on the underdogs, figuring it was a tough sport to handicap.

The extra effort paid off. The 35-year-old’s picks clicked, and his investment cashed at six-to-one odds.

Sports betting is a hobby Waterloo’s Greg Demeuleneare shares with a group of eight friends, mostly spread across Waterloo Region.

“The reason I sports bet is because I watch the games,” he said. “That’s a big part of it for me, so I have interest to sit there and watch it.”

Normally at this time of the year Demeuleneare and his pals are talking about the starting pitchers in a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game.

Now, they’re eyeing Russian table tennis.

“If my mom knew I was betting on ping pong she’d probably think that was pretty messed up,” he said.

They’re watching baseball in Korea, too, even if it means waking up in the wee hours of

the morning to catch the first pitch.

It’s not MLB, but it keeps the friends close in a time when they can’t get together in person. Wagering just adds another layer of excitement.

“That’s the big thing,” he said. “The guys have found a way to find some entertainment still.”

Demeuleneare and his crew have even considered betting on the growing craze of marble racing. Yes, marble racing.

It involves different coloured marbles rolling through obstacle courses on the Marbula One tour — with live commenters calling the action. Online videos of the races have gone viral.

And while some bettors are turning a profit on these weird sports, Métivier has some advice with the big leagues stuck on the sidelines.

“It’s kind of a good opportunity to take stock of your betting successes and failures over the past year,” he said.