Novelty bets, also known as proposition bets, special bets, alternative bets, or non-sports bets, gives punters the chance to wager on the outcome of a wide range of sporting and non-sporting events.
Novelty bets, due to the many options available, have significantly grown in popularity with punters in recent years to the point where if you can predict the outcome of something, the chances are a bookie will have odds on it. From politics to sports and music to royals, novelty bets can be found far and wide and make for a unique and exciting betting experience for both beginner and experienced punters.
Table of Contents
 Paddy Power
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 Betfair
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New customer offer. Place 5 x £10or more bets to receive £20in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply. |
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 William Hill
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New customers using Promo Code P30 only, min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15 (30 days expiry), free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. |
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Popular Novelty Bets in 2020
We've compiled a list of some of the most popular novelty bets for you to enjoy in 2020 and the bookies offering the highest odds in each market.
Date of Oasis Reunion (Paddy Power Odds)
Noel & Liam Gallagher, OASIS, Air Studios 4-2-1997 (Image: © Jill Furmanovsky)
Following their acrimonious split back in 2009 and the long war of words that has ensued between Noel and Liam Gallagher ever since, it seems like Oasis might finally be reuniting. Given the opportunity for a benefit performance due to the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Paddy Power and Betfair both seem to think that this might happen sooner rather than later giving odds of 2/1 for a reunion in 2020 and 4/1 for a unification in 2021. But with the volatile nature of the Gallagher brothers, this really is anyone’s guess!
| Year | Odds |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2/1 |
| 2021 | 4/1 |
| 2022 | 8/1 |
Harry and Meghan (Paddy Power Odds)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been two of the names on everyone’s mouths ever since their highly controversial decision to break away from the Royal Family. It should therefore come as no surprise that bookies have jumped on the band wagon and begun offering a whole host of different Harry and Meghan betting specials. At Paddy Power and Betfair, these include the likes of whether they will announce a pregnancy in 2020, which series Meghan Markle will first feature in, if the loving couple will return to the UK permanently by 2025, and what Prince Harry’s first paid job will be.
| Royal Baby Specials | Odds |
|---|---|
| To announce a pregnancy in 2020 | 4/6 |
| To have twins in 2020/21 | 33/1 |
| To have triplets in 2020/21 | 100/1 |
Tiger King (Paddy Power Odds)
Tiger King (Image: © Netflix)
Tiger King has become an overnight sensation with scores of self-isolating people tuning in to watch the unbelievable story of Joe Exotic. With the show’s increased popularity, countless memes circulating on social media, and anticipation about a future movie production, it should come as no surprise that Paddy Power, Betfair, and William Hill are among the top novelty betting sites to price up who they think will play the star role – and before you ask, no, there are no markets as yet for whether Carole Baskin killed her husband.
| Actor | Odds |
|---|---|
| Edward Norton | 4/1 |
| Kevin Bacon | 4/1 |
| Billy Bob Thornton | 4/1 |
| David Spade | 6/1 |
| Brad Pitt | 8/1 |
| Matthew McConaughey | 10/1 |
| Ben Stiller | 10/1 |
Next James Bond (Paddy Power Odds)
James Bond is known and loved by people worldwide so when news that Daniel Craig decided to step down from the iconic role emerged, several bookies began predicting who the next 007 is likely to be. James Norton is the current favourite with odds of 2/1 at Ladbrokes and Unibet followed by Tom Hiddleston with odds of 6/1 at Paddy Power and Betfair, and Sam Heughan who has been given odds of 8/1 at Boylesports.
| Actor | Odds |
|---|---|
| James Norton | 6/4 |
| Richard Madden | 4/1 |
| Jack Lowden | 6/1 |
| Sam Heughan | 6/1 |
| Tom Hiddleston | 6/1 |
Weather Specials (Paddy Power Odds)
(Image: © The Sun)
Betting on the weather is one of the most common novelty bets to make given its availability literally all year round. Whilst looking at previous years and months for trends can prove to be helpful, weather novelty markets remain one of the most unpredictable markets for both bookies and punters alike. Betfair and Paddy Power’s novelty betting offering is once again shown to be way ahead of the pack with their vast weather specials. Both bookies priced any month of 2020 to be the hottest on record in the UK at 9/4 whilst also giving punters the chance to be on the amount of rainfall or whether the UK will have a hosepipe ban. William Hill also offer several weather specials including which month will have the warmest day of the year and whether the UK summer record temperature of 38.7C will be broken in 2020.
| Weather Special | Odds |
|---|---|
| Any part of the UK to have a hosepipe ban in 2020 | 5/4 |
| Any month of 2020 to be hottest on record | 2/1 |
| Any month of 2020 to have the lowest rainfall on record | 9/4 |
| Any day of 2020 to be the hottest on record | 3/1 |
Image: Doctor dressed in PPE | © DFID – UK Department for International DevelopmentSimon Davis/DFID | License: CC BY-SA 2.0
As the world battles on in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus, some bookies are looking at the light at the end of tunnel by offering a novelty betting market on whether the inventor of the vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus will be the recipient of a Nobel Prize in 2020. At the time of writing, Paddy Power and Betfair both offer this novelty market with a ‘yes’ outcome being priced at 4/1. Vbet offers a variation of this market with a wider list of contenders, though Coronavirus medics are still far ahead with odds of 6/4 to receive the coveted award.
| Will inventor of Covid19 vaccine win a Nobel Prize in 2020? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | 4/1 |
What is Novelty Betting?
Novelty betting involves predicting the outcome of any event taking place across the globe – and we mean anything! As long an event can gather some form of interest, bookmakers will undoubtedly price it up for all to enjoy. Whilst novelty bets are not usually associated with sports, nowadays as part of the novelty-bets-can-be-found-on-anything train, you won’t have to look far to find bookies offering sports novelty bets relating to the most popular tournaments and players. Novelty markets can include events taking place over a wide period of time, such as tv show outcomes and celebrity pregnancies or one day events such as the weather or something happening during a sports match.
Novelty and specials bets are rapidly growing in popularity with as many as tens to hundreds of millions worth of these bets being place annually. To make these bets even more appealing, betting sites have even started offering specific novelty promotions for punters to enjoy. Just like any other type of bets, different bookies will offer varying levels of odds for novelty betting events so make sure to shop around to find the most lucrative margins.
Types of Novelty Bets
The most popular types of novelty bets include:
- Politics
- Music
- Sports
- TV Specials
- Weather
- The Royal Family
- Current Affairs
Why Should You Bet on Novelty Markets?
Given their near-infinite possibilities, punters can find lots of different novelty betting markets available all throughout the year which makes them a great substitute for when sporting events are not showing. Betting on novelty markets can also add to the excitement of many events which would otherwise have little-to-no interest to punters.
Most importantly for bettors, however, is the fact that novelty bets present a chance to make a profit. Unlike sports events where bookies use many different algorithms to accurately price up odds, novelty bets are much more unpredictable which makes it difficult for betting sites to be as accurate in their estimates. For this reason, finding a novelty betting market with overpriced odds by the bookie could prove to be extremely lucrative. Finally, some novelty bets can be placed live (such as in the case of vote counting during general elections) as well as accessed on mobile, making it these bets available at any time and any place.
5 of the Greatest Novelty Bets Ever Made
1 – Luis Suarez Bites
Following a series of bites on the pitch back in 2012 and 2013, several bookies decided to price up the odds of Luis Suarez going in for more during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This market proved particularly popular amongst punters given the sheer ridiculousness of it but when hungry Suarez couldn’t help but get a taste of Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder in the final match of the group stages, punters were given a surprising payout!
2-The Queen’s Hat
The Queen’s attendance is one of the staples at the Royal Ascot, but every year since 1973, there has a been a novelty market for predicting what colour hat her majesty will be wearing. This market has proven to be extremely popular and is said to have become as traditional to Royal Ascot as the races themselves. If you’re wondering what happens when the Queen opts for a unique shade of teal not offered by betting sites, the bookies will typically pay out based on the nearest block colour.
3 – Alien Existence
For many people, finding the existence of aliens is a case of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ which is why several bookies throughout the years have created markets with generous odds where punters can wager on a timeframe by which alien existence will be confirmed. As it stands, none of these bets have ever received a payout, but who knows? Could this be the year humanity discovers extra-terrestrials and you get your first novelty betting win?
4 – Gatorade at the Super Bowl
Every year a big bucket of Gatorade is poured over the winning coach of the NFL Super Bowl (because why not?) with the colour of this shower being the focus of many punters. Whilst it is virtually impossible to logically predict the colour of the Gatorade, it has still proven to be a hugely popular novelty market which makes for a bit of fun. Past years have featured orange, yellow, blue, purple and even no shower.
5 – Futures Betting
Futures betting involves predicting on something specific that will happen in the future to you or someone close to you. This type of novelty bet cannot be made online but instead by approaching a bookie directly and requesting your own bet. Some example of futures betting include whether your child will go on to be the next UK Prime Minister or whether you will one day receive a Nobel Peace Prize.
Novelty Betting FAQs
📵 Are There Novelty Betting Bonuses?
Although not constantly on offer, some bookies will offer novelty and specials promotions to punters (usually closer to the day of the event)
📱 What are the Best Novelty Betting Sites?
Different betting sites offer different markets, so this depends on what exactly you are looking for. That being said, Paddy Power and Betfair have the widest selection of novelty markets of all the top bookmakers.
🔢 Can I Request my Own Novelty Bet?
Different bookies will have different policies when it comes to requesting your own novelty bets so we suggest contacting the betting site directly team to see if they can price up your unique novelty bet.
🆓 How do I Place a Novelty Bet?
Placing a novelty bet is the same as placing any other sportsbook bet. Simply go to your favourite bookie’s sportsbook, navigate to the novelty bets section (usually listed under specials bets, tv and specials, novelty specials or other similar phrases) and choose which market you would like to wager on.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
Novelty betting is a great way to have add some extra fun while betting and although these bets will likely never match the level of excitement and drama that comes with sports betting, they still provide a way of making regular events far more interesting. With their constant availability and so many options to choose from, there is a novelty bet for everyone and given that they are so unpredictable, who knows? You just might make your own novelty betting profit!
Hey, I’m Adam! I’m a massive Arsenal F.C fan and sports lover in general. When not bitterly disappointed by the results of my team, I enjoy writing, eating, and planning holidays I’ll never be able to afford.
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