It can get somewhat dull betting on same things over and over again, even if you use the bonuses of trusted bookmakers and you have a huge number of things you can bet on. Horse races are fun, soccer is amazing, and the strategies behind picking the winner when NBA giants clash are something truly astounding. However, one needs to cleanse the palate, as it were, and bet on something unconventional. Here are some of the weirdest things you can bet on in Europe.
Royal Family
The British royal family has been in the public spotlight for many generations. It is only natural that some of the bets revolve around them. With the princes getting married, the bets deal with the gender and the names of the babies, as well as the exact date and time of their birth. It is not unreasonable to expect similar bets to happen in the future. Perhaps we will bet on the children’s first words and the date they start walking.
Ferret Bingo
Another one from Britain. This time it is a simple concept of putting a ferret inside a cage with several pipes coming out of it. You bet on which pipe the ferret will choose. Don’t expect to win a huge amount of money, though – this is usually done only for fairs and charities.
Cheese Rolling
Would you believe they tried to make this into an Olympic sport? The idea is that you chase after a cheese wheel that is 9 pounds heavy and has a head start down the hill. The first one to get is wins. This is no small feat, however, as the hill is steep, and people are likely to get hurt. So, if you want to bet on something that is very random, this is the discipline for you.
Pesapallo
This is Finland’s national sport that is very similar to baseball in nature and format. There is a number of differences, though. For example, it you catch a ball after it’s been hit without it hitting the ground, the opposing player is not out. Also, the ball has to bounce of the ground before getting hit.
Chess Boxing
It’s exactly what you thought of. It is popular in Germany, UK and Russia, as well as India. The participants spend six rounds playing chess and 5 rounds boxing. You lose the match if you get a checkmate or a knockout. To be perfectly honest, we have no idea how anyone can play chess after a few rounds of boxing, but it’s something interesting to put your money on.
Calcio Fiorentino
This is a 16th century sport in Italy that can be described as a combination of rugby and wrestling, though its name could be translated as “historic football”. Participation is only for the locals, and the tickets are hard to come by.