Competitive Eating Betting & Contests

Written by: Sarah Sheikh, Content Researcher and Writer
Last updated:
8 minute read

Competitive eating betting is relatively new, but it has gained tremendous popularity in recent years. You can bet on just about everything these days when it comes to the online betting world and competitive eating contests are no exception.  The most notable competitive eating contest is Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is held every year on the 4th of July. The goal of any competitive eating event is to consume more food than the other competitors.

Bettors won’t find a massive list of wagering markets when it comes to competitive eating betting, but there are more than a few to enjoy if you enjoy the sport and want some action. Not only can you bet on the winners of competitive eating competitions, but you’ll find several propositions for famous eating contests, such as the number of hot dogs eaten and head-to-head matchups between the participants.

Best Competitive Eating Betting Sites 2024

Rank
Payment Grade
Rating
Bonus
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  • 1
    A+
    4.9/5.0
    50% Up To $250
  • 2
    A+
    4.9/5.0
    100% Up To $2,500
  • 3
    A+
    4.8/5.0
    50% Up To $250
  • 3
    A+
    4.8/5.0
    100% Up To $500
  • 4
    A+
    4.2/5.0
    125% Up To $1,250
  • 5
    A
    4.7/5.0
    100% Up To $1,000
  • 5
    A
    4.7/5.0
    50% Up To $1,000

How To Bet On Eating Contests

Betting on competitive eating is no different than wagering on other sports. The rules for placing and grading bets are the same for popular sports like Football and Basketball, The difference with those popular sports is that Competitive eating betting markets are a smaller, meaning they’re far less sharp compared to major markets.

  1. Choose A Reputable Sportsbook – One of the biggest mistakes that bettors make is signing up for the first online betting site they come across. If the sportsbook is a poorly-rated one, this may sour their whole experience with online betting. We have just about every betting site online reviewed and offer our top recommendations.
  2. Maximize Your Bonus – Almost all online gambling sites will offer new accounts a deposit bonus. It is always critical to get yourself a deposit bonus when signing up. If possible, you should try to get the maximum amount of bonus, for instance, say MyBookie offers a 100% Up To $1000 – it would be best to deposit $1,000 so you can receive the max. Deposit bonuses not only have lots of value, but they’re excellent bankroll builders.
  3. Choose A Bet – Once you have signed up and deposited, it’s now time to choose your betting market. Competitive eating markets are usually under novelty or entertainment markets and don’t have their own betting category. Many sports betting sites also offer a search function which will allow you to search for specific events.
  4. Choose Your Betting Amount – After you have found the competitive eating betting market you wish to wager on, it’s time to choose your amount. Limits for competitive eating will be much lower than major sports. Still, it’s crucial to check over your bet slip for the correct market and bet amount before clicking submit.
  5. Place Your Bet and Enjoy – After checking everything over, it’s time to place your bet. After that, you can enjoy the competition and root on your wagers.

Competitive Eating Betting Sites

Rank Top Betting Sites Deposit Bonus Get Started
1 Deposit Bonus 50% Up To $250 Bet Now
2 Deposit Bonus 100% Up To $2,500 Bet Now
3 Deposit Bonus 50% Up To $250 Bet Now

The best sites to bet on eating contests will have the attributes of top sports betting sites, such as a large bonus, an excellent reputation among players, and fast payouts. Of course, there are other factors. The number of markets as it relates to events such as Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest will undoubtedly make a betting site more appealing to those that want to bet on competitive eating events. Some betting sites will have the basics, such as outrights to win competitions, others will have many more options in the form of props and head-to-head wagers.

Competitive Eating Betting Types

There are several different betting options when it comes to wagering on competitive eating. The most common bet you will find when wagering on competitive eating are outrights or futures on who will win an event. Some betting sites will also have a host of other markets, including propositions.

Odds To Win

You will find this at every sportsbook that has odds available for competitive eating. Depending on the number of competitors, this may be between two eaters or a large field of different eaters. The market, if expressed in moneyline odds, will look something like this:

Odds to Win the Men’s 2019 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

  • Joey Chestnut -450
  • Field +275

Chestnut is a the favorite in this example at -450. The rest of the field is just at +275. To win your bet, you must select the winner of the competition.

Amount of Food Eaten – Over/Under

Just about every sportsbook will have odds on the number of hot dogs eaten by the winner. Some betting sites will go even further and allow you to bet on the amount that each competitor consumes.

Total Number of Hot Dogs Eaten By the Winner

  • Over 66.5 -150
  • Under 66.5 +125

Bettors can wager on the total number of hot dogs eaten by the winner. In this example, the total is 66.5 hot dogs, and the over is the clear favorite at -150 with the under at +125. You must estimate the correct number of hot dogs eaten (over/under) in relation to the betting line to win your bet.

Head-to-Head Matchups

This market pits different eaters against each other, allowing you to pick which one you think will according to the odds. Chestnut is the most popular competitive eater today and is a popular bet in most head-to-head markets.

Men’s Championship – Head-to-Head Winner

  • Joey Chestnut -600
  • Matt Stonie +300

Chesnut is the favorite at -600 over Stonie at +300. All that is needed to win this market is to bet on the eater who eats more than the other and finishes higher in the competition.

Competitive Eating Rankings – Top Competitive Eaters To Bet On

There are some significant players in the world of competitive eating. Not only has the sport grown in recent years regarding popularity, but eaters’ salaries and TV deals have also gotten a lot better. The top competitive eaters are now massive worldwide celebrities, so let’s take a look a the best competitive eaters according to the Major League Eating & International Federation Of Competitive Eating.

#5  Darron Breeden

Darron Breeden competitive eater

Relatively new to competitive eating is Darron Breeden. The 29-year-old from Orange, VA made his name when he ate 28 dogs in 10 minutes in 2016. He also dabbles in cheese curds and tamales. Breeden has a bright future in competitive eating.

#4  Matt Stonie

Matt Stonie in Competition

Stone topped Joey Chestnut in the 2015 Hot Dog Eating Contest and made an international name for himself. Just 26, he turned pro-competitive eater in 2011 at the age 19 and already has a long list of accomplishments.

#3  Geoffrey Esper

DGeoffrey Esper training for competition

Esper keeps a lower profile than the other top competitive eaters, but he still has an impressive resume. He ate an impressive 30 hotdogs in the 2015 Hot Dog contest and impressive finishes when it comes to pizza, pepperoni rolls, and other foods.

#2 Carmen Cincotti

carmen cincotti dominating competition

No one saw it coming when Carmen Cincotti ate 42 hot dogs in a qualifying event. Still, they were shocked once again when he ate the same number to win the 2016 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

#1 Joey Chestnut

joey chestnut at nathan's hot dog competition

Joey Chestnut is the best competitive eater of all-time. The 34-year old held an eight-year undefeated run through 2014 in Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest. He regained the title in 2016 to give himself a world-record ninth title. He has 43 competitive eating records in the Guinness Book of World Records. That is the World Record for World Records held.

Best Competitive Eating Contests

The 4th of July Hot Dog Contest is still the biggest around, but many other massive competitive eating events around the world have plenty of notoriety. Here are our top five contests to check out.

#5 – The National Harbor World Peeps Eating Championship

national harbor eating contest

While it’s a relatively new competition as far as competitive eating – how can a contest where we are our favorite Easter treat, Peeps, not make the list. Some of the biggest names in eating made the journey, including, Matt Stone. He set a world record in 2017 by eating 255 peeps.

#4 – World Pie Eating Championship

Harry's bar home of the world pie eating championship

This isn’t about the volume of eating, unlike other competitions. Instead, eaters must consume one pie. The beer and potato filed pies measure four inches in diameter, and the best way to win is by merely eating the pie the fastest. The competition has been going on for 24 years at Harry’s Bar.

#3 – Acme Oyster Eating World Championship

oyster eating contest at acme oyster house new orleans

It’s only fitting that an oyster competition would take place in Louisiana. It’s a relatively new eating contest, but one that is becoming more popular each year. Competitive eater, Darron Breeden took the 2018 prize. He ate 480 oysters in one sitting.

#2 – The Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship

gyoza eating championship logo

Gyoza is an excellent Japanese themed appetizer, but in Los Angeles each year, it’s consumed by the hundreds. This is another food where the best competitive eater of all-time, Joey Chestnut, also excels. He took down first place after consuming 359 gyoza in 10 minutes in 2018.

#1 – Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest

nathans hot dog eating contest logo

The Fourth of July Hot Dog Contest is the Super Bowl of competitive eating. Joey Chestnut has won the competition 11 times and has only lost once since competing. The event first began in 1916 at Coney Island has been an annual tradition ever since.

How To Train For Competitive Eating – Competitive Eating Tips

Competitive eating is one of the crazier “sports” out there. The fact that it has become this huge is a testament to the fans that support it and the wacky eaters and competitions that make up the sport. With such a unique event, there are sorts of interesting training tips regarding competitive eating.

Training Tip #1Stay Healthy

You may expect to see some massively obese people winning these contests, but that’s far from the case. most competitive eaters are not the peak of physical fitness, but most of them are relatively skinny. Aside from training and competitions – you must follow a healthy lifestyle. The excess belly fat can impede stomach expansion and limit your food intake in competition.

Training Tip #2Train The Jaws

Not only the stomach gets a workout. As a competitive eater, you will work to strengthen your jaws to crush food at a faster and stronger rate than the average person. Some chew massive amounts of gum to work out their jaws. The top eaters can exceed 280 pounds of force with their jaw muscles.

Training Tip #3Prepare Your Stomach

Yeah, it basically means drinking massive amounts of liquid. This can mean chugging gallons of milk or vegetable juice in the mornings for a full month before a competition. This helps stretch the stomach. Then, to swallow large amounts of food quickly, they must stretch out their throats by taking entire mouthfuls of water at once. Then they move onto softer foods, and then solid foods, such as hot dogs.

About the Author

Sarah Sheikh

Sarah Sheikh

Content Researcher and Writer

Sarah has been researching and writing for the iGaming industry for more than 10 years. She writes both betting and casino content for SBS with a unique honest perspective.

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