Legal Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Betting

Undeniably. Competitive eating is not only a sport, but the training involved for top-level athletes is some of the most intense in the athletic realm.

While some view these contestants as gluttons and slobs, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, gauging each MLE eater’s training regimen is one way that bettors can make truly informed bets online.

Not all competitive eaters are thin. In fact, before Takeru Kobayashi burst onto the scene and became famous for his slender frame and ability to gobble down insane amounts of processed meat links, most competitive eating professionals were larger in size.

Today, however, it’s well known that thinner competitors do better, as their stomachs have much more room to expand. Modern professional eaters do a tremendous amount of exercise to stay fit and limber (and burn off all those calories). If you just bet on the fattest guy on stage, you’re going to lose every single time.  

Joey Chestnut is neither slim nor stout, coming in at a pre-competition “walking around weight” of 230 pounds on his 6’1” frame.

Yes, competitive eaters do throw up after eating. However, they do this only during the training stage, as vomiting during the Nathan’s hotdog contest is an automatic disqualifier. This is the case in all professional eating events.

Fun Fact: In competitive eating, vomiting is called a "reversal of fortune."

Practice makes perfect, and competitive eaters train rigorously to expand their stomachs, tame their gag reflexes, and contort their torsos to put down the most food possible.

While some pro eaters are naturally inclined to consume much more food than the average person, most of what you see on stage is no accident. A hot dog contest winner eats hotdogs for a living, remember.

Chestnut makes $10,000 for every Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating championship, but his net worth is estimated to be at around $1 million. Having been on the scene for 13 or so years, he makes a hair under $100,000 annually. While you won’t be able to make that kind of money wagering on Chestnut, you can still make an after-dinner mint if you pick the correct outcome.  

Unfortunately, yes. While you are unlikely to find betting lines on competitive eating deaths, there are been seven such incidents recorded since 2012. Most of these have been the result of choking, though one unfortunate competitor died from water intoxication and another fell into a bay and drowned.

Bet on Joey Chestnut, and bet on Miki Sudo.

Seriously, that’s all the advice we can offer. These athletes aren’t just the reigning champs, they’ve been reigning for some time now. They’re not just famous, they’re Nathan’s Famous!

Otherwise, we recommend picking smaller competitors in most eating contests. Larger, fatter professionals may have certain specialties (so always research the specific events in question), but if you’re a new bettor going in blind and Chestnut and Sudo aren’t in the game, pick a small, svelte-looking Asian.

The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is broadcast on ESPN or a subsidiary (ESPN2, ESPN3) each year on the 4^th of July, live from Coney Island in New York.

You can watch the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest online using ESPN’s apps and various streaming services like Hulu, Apple TV+, Android TV, and more.

The 2022 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest – officially the 106th event – will be held on July 4, 2022. The women's contest starts at 11:00 AM EST on ESPN3, while the men's contest is at 12:30 PM EST on ESPN.  

Male winners of the Nathan’s Famous eating contest receive $10,000 and the coveted bejeweled yellow Mustard Belt. Female champions receive the same amount of prize money, but they get a pink belt, instead. (Why they didn’t go with a Heinz Red belt is anyone’s guess.) Runners up receive $5000, and sponsors often mete out various other prizes.