Despite the surge in visibility of golf’s big budget newcomer tournament, LIV Golf, one of the traditional giants of the sport, The Masters, continues to peak bettors’ interest according to Entain.
Augusta National’s annual event accounts for 40% of the operator’s betting for golf’s four major events, with Entain declaring that The Masters is the fourth biggest global betting event annually behind the Grand National, the Super Bowl and the UEFA Champions League final.
Entain also noted that the gold industry’s new tour challenger LIV Golf has failed to generate interest from bettors, with the PGA Tour proving to be 100 times larger in terms of bets and stakes.
LIV Golf’s media growth not translating to betting
LIV golf is a Saudi backed golf tour, fronted by Greg Norman – two-time major champion and former world number one.
Its interesting to note that despite the lack of betting interest, LIV has been gaining a lot of broadcast exposure recently after expanding its free-to-air coverage to more than 200 markets following a multi-year agreement with DAZN. This was only a few weeks after the league announced free-to-air coverage in the UK via a deal with terrestrial media outlet ITV for the 2025 season.
Despite this wide reach, the Masters remains the attention grabbing golf tournament for bettors, according to Entain. The Ladbrokes, Coral and bwin parent group praised the tournament’s blend of tradition, history and captivating stories as part of its huge pull with global TV and betting audiences.
This may have endeared the tournament more to viewers Entain’s Managing Director for Sports, Greg Ferris, remarked: “The Masters is more than just a golf tournament – it’s a springtime tradition that brings out the fan in all of us. Whether you’re a die-hard golf bettor or someone who only bets once a year, the Masters has a way of capturing imaginations.”
Entain also suggested that the recurring use of Augusta National’s Golf Club in Georgia aids the event’s betting impact, as punters can analyse betting opportunities and examine trends more thoroughly.
Looking deeper into that patriotism that supports a lot of the betting action during The Masters, Entain suggested that Bryson DeChambeau has been a clear favourite for US punters due to last year’s winner Scottie Scheffler having shortly priced odds.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrell Hatton and Shane Lowry dominate betting slips across the UK and Ireland. The significance of what Entain calls ‘patriotic punting’ is notable, as the bookmaker has made similar observations during other tournaments.
During the Women’s Euros in 2022, for example, the company’s trading teams noticed national favouritism across its European portfolio. Data showed that 60% of both English and German were patriotic punters, betting on their respective national teams.
Back on golf, the company also noted that customers in the UK and the US bet in different ways when watching The Masters. This is not too surprising given the different products on offer across the two nations as well as general differences in consumer preferences.
Each-way betting does not exist in the US where special markets tend to be more popular, while outright markets dominate the UK betting market covering 95% of bets. In the US, outright bets only make up approximately 40% of bets.
“The combination of iconic players, a legendary course and unique betting opportunities makes it the perfect stage for patriotic punting and exciting new markets,” Ferris added.
“This year, with stars like DeChambeau lighting up social media and fresh in-play options like ‘nearest the pin’ bets, we’re expecting record engagement across both sides of the Atlantic.”
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