Betting on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Netflix Fight to Be Determined

Posted on: March 7, 2024, 02:32h. 

Last updated on: March 7, 2024, 02:41h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
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Netflix confirmed on Thursday that YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul and boxing legend Mike Tyson will come to blows during a July 20 bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL Dallas Cowboys. The streaming service will air the match.

Jake Paul Mike Tyson fight odds
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will fight in a boxing match streamed on Netflix on July 20, 2024. No legal sportsbook is yet taking bets on the fight. (Image: Getty)

Paul, 27, started boxing in 2020 and has amassed a 9-1 record with six knockouts. Most of those fights, however, have been exhibitions not sanctioned by a regulator like the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Tyson needs little introduction. During his prime, the 57-year-old was the undisputed world heavyweight champion and won his first 19 professional fights by knockout. Tyson’s career record is 50-6-2, with 44 wins by knockout.

Fight Needs Regulator

The Paul vs. Tyson spectacle is being promoted by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). Because the Netflix announcement didn’t confirm if it will be a professionally sanctioned fight, US oddsmakers are expected to be barred from allowing bets on the contest.

Nevada’s betting catalog allows sportsbooks to offer odds on boxing matches only when the fight is governed by the Nevada Athletic Commission. In Texas, the state’s boxing regulator is the Department of Licensing and Regulation. The agency sanctions and regulates combat sports, including boxing, in the Lone Star State.

State gaming regulators who govern legal sports betting in the 38 states and Washington, DC that allow such gambling on sports require fights to be overseen by an experienced regulator to ensure a fair match and a fight free of outside influence.

For a fight to be licensed and sanctioned in Texas, MVP would need to hire licensed ring officials, share in ticket revenue with the state, and provide on-site emergency services. Paul and Tyson would additionally need to submit to drug and steroid testing, plus laboratory testing to ensure no sexually transmitted disease. The fighters would also be subjected to a vision test and a brain scan.

Unless MVP adheres to those terms, regulated sportsbooks in the US won’t be allowed to take action on the Paul-Tyson showdown.

Offshore Event

While legal sportsbooks in the US must adhere to state and federal regulations, offshore operators do not.

As Casino.org reported today, when a legal book is barred from accepting a type of bet, that often moves the bettor in search of that bet to an unregulated, offshore sportsbook. Many offshore sportsbooks that aren’t legally allowed to take bets from US bettors have already opened odds on the Paul-Tyson fight.

Paul is the heavy favorite at -500, and Tyson is the underdog at +325. A winning $100 bet on those odds would respectively net $20 and $325.

Though DraftKings isn’t taking money on the July fight, the leading sportsbook said in a blog post that its lead trader Johnny Avello would put the odds at Paul -360 and Tyson +300.

Tyson acknowledged that he’s rusty and Paul has been fighting and training consistently over the past four years. But he still thinks his arms will be raised after the fight.

“He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a kid can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT,” said Tyson. “I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”