PORTLAND, Ore. — Sports bettors in Oregon made history last month, wagering $9.1 million on table tennis. It appears to be the most bet on table tennis in any single month since the Oregon Lottery launched sports betting in 2019.
In August, table tennis was the second most popular sport to bet on in Oregon behind baseball which attracted $22 million in wagers, according to data from the state lottery.
Table tennis saw more betting action than soccer, tennis, basketball and football in August. The NFL and NBA were in the offseason.
Last month, a KGW investigation explored the growing phenomenon behind table tennis gambling. The lineup of matches runs around the clock, with a new contest starting every few minutes. Unlike other sports, there’s always action. Matches don’t last long, and in-game betting lines change fast.
The matches are streamed on YouTube or betting platforms, like DraftKings. There’s no announcer and no fans. Typically, the matches are played in bleak-looking gyms in eastern Europe, with a single scorekeeper who flips over numbers by hand. Some players are younger, some older. Their skill levels are mixed.
"This is like the crack cocaine of sports gambling," said Dr. Ken Pendleton of the University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Program.
Researchers suggest those betting on table tennis are drawn to quick, constant action, similar to video poker or slot machines.
"As we can see from the data, the state of Oregon, DraftKings and other bookmakers in other states are making a nice profit from this and it has the whiff of being problematic," Pendleton said.
