Analysts: Paul vs. Tyson to Bolster Sportsbooks’ Q4

Macquarie and JMP Securities analysts have highlighted the benefits of the recent boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. While the game was unorthodox and controversial, its extraordinary nature was precisely what glued millions of sports enthusiasts to the screens.

Analysts Forecast Strong Q4 for Sport Betting Thanks to the Fight

The clash between Iron Mike and El Gallo attracted record-breaking betting results, according to earlier reports. Now, NEXT.io has reported that professional analysts were just as optimistic about the fight’s benefit to the betting sector.

Macquarie specialist said that betting participation exceeded even primetime NFL games that saw above average hold of 10% for the week in which the fight took place. Thanks to these favorable results and the three above-average hold weeks for sportsbooks, Macquarie analysts forecasted Q4 market growth of roughly 9%.

Overall, Macquarie experts concluded that the event resulted in a “nice tailwind” for the betting industry after its impact exceeded all initial expectations. The added that November 15, the day of the fight, saw the highest download rate since the last Super Bowl. For context, the event, which was streamed exclusively on Netflix and riddled with buffering issues, was still watched by some 108 million people worldwide.

JMP analysts also chimed in, highlighting significant customer acquisition across the entire betting industry thanks to the fight. According to them, this growth will enable future cross-sell opportunities.

Sportsbooks Confirmed That the Match Was a Huge Hit

Earlier, some of the biggest sportsbook reported that the fight between Tyson and Paul brought in more money than any other previous combat sports event. BetMGM said that the fight generated four times more money than any other martial arts competition in its history.

ESPN Bet, on the other hand, said that the betting handle for the match was more than four times their next biggest boxing event and twice that of the top MMA event it has ever recorded.

Tyson Won the Fans’ Support But Lost the Fight

As for the fight itself, it ended with Paul as the winner, despite the older sports fans’ overwhelming support for Tyson. As it turns out, many were hoping to relive the thrill of Tyson’s glory days, although things didn’t go exactly that way.

The game, of course, had its critics. While some doubted the ethics of having two fighters with such a huge age gap compete, others straight up dismissed the clash as a fixed event. Despite these concerns, millions of people enjoyed the game and the betting opportunities it brought.