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Sports business insider: Wagering on international table tennis is still one of the most popular bets for legalized sports gamblers in Colorado.

Short version

The Colorado Division of Gaming releases monthly reports of state betting proceeds that break down each sport by wagers placed. The most recent publicly available data showed consecutive months of record betting interest for table tennis.

—December 2024: $29,416,137.61

—January 2025: $31,718,384.39

It represents a sharp increase from the previous month ($17,290,681.82 in November 2024) with total wagers for table tennis outpacing soccer, NHL and MMA.

The Division of Gaming currently allows licensed operators to accept table tennis bets under 10 international governing bodies: Armenian Table Tennis Federation, Asian Table Tennis Union, Challenger Series, Czech Table Tennis Association, European Table Tennis Union, German Table Tennis Association, Table Tennis Australia, TT Star Pro Series and Unión Latinoamericana de Tenis de Mesa.

Long version

Colorado’s legalized sports betting launched in 2020 when government restrictions halted play for most sports worldwide. International table tennis filled the void for many sports gamblers. Betting interest continues to rise on the obscure sport now five years later.

“The popularity of table tennis isn’t unique to Colorado,” said Chris Schroder, the director of the state’s Division of Gaming. “It’s a popular sport throughout the country from all the regulated jurisdictions for gaming.”

Dr. Timothy Fong is a clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and co-director of the university’s gambling studies program. Fong told The Denver Gazette that “what we’re surprised by is the staying power past the pandemic” of table tennis wagering. But a variety of factors made it possible.

—International matches, often livestreamed on sportsbook phone apps, are offered almost every hour of the day and especially during the evening and morning when traditional sports are not played.

—Odds swing quickly, matches are short, and live-betting in real time allows for almost nonstop action.

—Fong called it “an internet phenomenon” with websites and message boards sharing strategies for successful wagering on table tennis.

“We know that it’s 24/7. We know that it’s extremely fast paced, and there are tons of different bets and wagers you can place — total points, winners and losers, each point,” Fong told The Denver Gazette. “It’s really that merging of technology and betting opportunities, where the only reason this is popular is because you can have bets being presented to you in real time. You don’t have to wait until the next day to get online. You sit there and a new wager is showing up on your screen every second.”

Key context

Table tennis does not receive mainstream TV, newspaper or internet coverage in the United States. Sportsbooks do not feature the sport in local advertising. There are not recognizable ping pong stars who rival the popularity of mainstream athletes like like Nikola Jokic or Nathan MacKinnon.

It raises transparency questions about why table tennis is so popular among Colorado sports gamblers.

The legitimacy of some international leagues has been questioned. ESPN investigated the lacking integrity of Moscow Liga Pro matches in a 2020 report. One year later, an Australian sports gambler was charged for allegedly placing bets on fixed Ukraine table tennis matches.

Colorado reported in January 2025 that sportsbooks won a net $1.7 million on table tennis wagers. The Division of Gaming takes active steps to detect possible match fixing or betting irregularities.

“We ensure that all games are regulated with high levels of integrity for all the sporting events that we offer here in Colorado,” Schroder said. “We look at a number of things. First, we make sure that it complies with our statutory requirements. But also, that those games have appropriate governing bodies and appropriate integrity checks and balances in place. … We work very closely with different integrity monitors that alert us of different concerns throughout the country and throughout the world.”

Looking ahead

Problem Gambling Awareness month takes place each March.

It is designed to “increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services” while encouraging “healthcare providers to screen clients,” according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.

In Colorado, the state’s Limited Gaming Control Commission recently approved over $2.9 million in grants “to provide meaningful funding and encourage prevention, education on gambling addiction, additional counselors, public awareness, treatment, recovery, data, and research in Colorado.”

The Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado received several grants. Jamie Glick is the coalition’s president and said that legalized sports gambling has increased the need for services provided at its problem gambling center in Lakewood that are free to the public.

“We have close to 300 engagements a month at the problem gambling center,” Glick said. “I think we’re also seeing a demographic change. Historically, you’re dealing with a lot of older people and people who are casino gamblers. Now, we’re seeing higher instances of Caucasian males between the ages of 25 and 40 who we see as the most affected by sports betting. (They are) higher income earners, too.”

Table tennis betting is one piece of a larger picture that makes addiction possible.

“I have not had any patients show up to our gambling treatment program where the main reason they have a gambling problem is table tennis,” said Dr. Fong, an addiction psychiatrist since 2005. “They’re betting on lots of other sports. But it’s certainly not helping make their lives better. … Because of the 24/7 nonstop availability.”