Woods vs. Mickelson $10M Showdown Confirmed: This Is A Sports Bettor’s Dream

Golf Powers That Be, thank you. Thank you for “getting it.” The date is (more or less) set for the Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson (likely) $10 million (possibly) winner-take-all showdown. It will (definitely) take place in Las Vegas at the Shadow Creek Golf Course on either Friday, Nov. 23 or Saturday, Nov. 24.

Why this is great for golf and sports bettors

Gimmicks work. The November 9 at the World Series of Poker was a gimmicky idea that initially brought more attention to the game and broadcast. Baseball is almost never part of the national dialogue any more…but this year’s Home Run Derby definitely was. Unless Tiger Woods is involved, nobody watches golf on TV anymore. Yes, being able to fantasy bet on it helped, but Tiger moves the needle. With this event now in November, the public will be able to 1) watch Tiger Woods, 2) in a gimmicky event, that 3) is tailor-made for betting. Genius. This will work. Holding the event in Vegas is perfect. It opens the door to discuss the betting elements and integrate that dialogue into the coverage. Also, there’s a billionty percent chance that Mickelson and Woods will have side bets going on. Be open about it. Make it a part of the coverage. Further, what a way to promote Super Live betting to the public. Every hole, every swing, every putt can matter not just to the golfers, but to the bettors.

Where this SHOULD go

The Tiger vs. Lefty match should be the tip of the iceberg. If handled properly, this showdown can be the forerunner for TV products that cater to the betting public. Think of the free-spending poker boom years where PokerStars and Full Tilt created and funded show after show in a customer acquisition arms race. While those types of free-spending days are not replicable or sustainable—a slimmed down version of that model is. Create one-off events (or a series of events), underwritten by a sportsbook, with exclusivity to that sportsbook for betting (or the in-game feed), and watch wagering explode. Let’s do this, William Hill.  Step up, MGM. You got this.