YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is lacing up the gloves for a sanctioned bout Friday against legendary heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The match will be streamed live via Netflix at 8 p.m. ET. However, is this particular fight safe to bet on?
Seven states prohibit betting on Netflix’s Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match
Considering both Paul and Tyson have 10s of millions of social media followers, this bout will easily become the most-watched boxing match in years. Netflix also reported 282.7 million worldwide subscribers at the end of the year’s third quarter.
In addition to garnering a large viewership, the match is allowing betting action since it will be a sanctioned fight. Sports wagering is currently legalized in 38 states and Washington, D.C.
Missouri will soon be added to the list after Amendment 2 was approved by voters. The amendment will become law on Dec. 5, 2024.
While most states are allowing betting on the Paul-Tyson bout, there are seven that aren’t: Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia. The aforementioned states have decided not to offer betting action on the fight for multiple reasons.
A spokesperson for the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) told ESPN’s Mike Coppinger that the bout wasn’t eligible for wagering because of the fight’s “non-traditional rules,” referring to the two-minute rounds and 14-ounce gloves.
Colorado notes that not all fighters are professionally ranked, while Pennsylvania considered the number of rounds
Spokespeople for gaming in Colorado said that “not all fighters are professionally ranked” as another reason, while Pennsylvania officials added that the number of rounds was also a consideration.
“Given the totality of factors, the decision was made in the best interest of the betting public not to permit wagering in Pennsylvania,” a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) told ESPN.
Another problem cited calls into question whether or not this will be a fight where both contestants are trying their best. State officials are also unsure whether a 58-year-old Mike Tyson should be recognized as a professional boxer at this stage of his life.
A spokesperson for the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) told Coppinger that the fight passed the state’s “three-prong test we give to casinos as guidance when they ask if they can take wagers on a sporting event.”
Regulators were unsure whether to allow wagering on a “non-traditional fight” featuring the largest age gap between fighters
This means betting has been approved in the Silver State since the bout will publish the results of the event and will have oversight from a governing body.
“Forget about lying; there’s no reason for us to create a federal fraud, a federal crime,” said promoter Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded Most Valuable Promotions with Paul. “… These are pro fights that consumers are making legal bets on. I don’t think the critic who says these are not real fights, thinks about there would be jail time if we actually did this type of stuff.
“… We have never, and we’ll never do anything that’s other than above board and 100 percent a pro fight unless we come out clearly and say, ‘Hey, this is an exhibition fight that is a show.'”
No other boxing match compares to Friday’s fight. A number of unknown variables are in play for regulators. For that reason, it makes sense why some states are against permitting wagering on a “non-traditional fight” featuring a 31-year age gap between fighters.
“I don’t see how that serves the sport’s interest. … It’s clearly for entertainment, which is fine,” an acting state athletic commissioner told ESPN. “But there’s all these mitigating circumstances with the inactivity, the age, all these things that make this match more problematic in my view.”
A Netflix subscription, which starts at $6.99 per month, is required to watch. The fight will also be available to commercial establishments, like bars and restaurants, via DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS.