Legalized betting on WWE matches? There’s a plan afoot

This is like being able to bet on whether Rocky wins the decision (he doesn’t), Roy McAvoy wins the U.S. Open (he doesn’t) or Jimmy Chitwood hits the buzzer-beater (he does).

Because just like all of those great sports movies, the WWE is scripted.

But the pro wrestling giant still wants fans to be allowed to bet on its outcomes. CNBC reports:

WWE is in talks with state gambling regulators in Colorado and Michigan to legalize betting on high-profile matches, according to people familiar with the matter.

WWE is working with the accounting firm EY to secure scripted match results in hopes it will convince regulators there’s no chance of results leaking to the public, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Accounting firms PwC and EY, also known as Ernst & Young, have historically worked with award shows, including the Academy Awards and the Emmys, to keep results a secret.

Here’s how the WWE says it would work:

Match results would be locked in months in advance and protected like top-secret documents, and wrestlers wouldn’t know whether they were going to win or lose a match until minutes before they entered the ring.

Betting on these matches would be allowed during a specific window, which could close hours before a match.

Betting on the Academy Awards is already legal and available through some sports betting applications, including market leaders FanDuel and DraftKings, although most states don’t allow it. WWE executives have cited Oscars betting as a template to convince regulators gambling on scripted matches is safe, the people said.

If WWE succeeds in its bid to legalize gambling on matches, it could open the door for legalized betting on other guarded, secret scripted events, such as future character deaths in TV series.

“The Red Wedding” could’ve been “The Green Wedding” for some “Game of Thrones” viewers, and betting a hundred bucks on Lt. Col. Henry Blake’s plane spinning into the Sea of Japan on M*A*S*H 50 years ago would’ve been like hitting the Powerball.