Places your bets…on chess? That’s right; strange as it seems, PinnacleSports.com today announced they’d become the “first sportsbook in the world to accept wagers on a professional chess leagueâ€.
The U.S. Chess League, new eight-team league comprised of players from various cities across the United States, features weekly action. PinnacleSports.com, in a press release, gave an example of their chess odds system: “the San Francisco Mechanics have been listed as the 4/11 favorites over the Philadelphia Masterminds, who are currently 5/2 underdogs to win the match. Hoping to close in on a playoff berth, the Baltimore Kingfishers are 4/7 favorites to checkmate the last place Carolina Cobras. The toughest match-up to call this week pits the Boston Blitz against the Dallas Destiny, where PinnacleSports.com has Boston as a slight 10/11 favorite to win.
“While it may not seem as popular as football or basketball, chess is played by millions around the globe and has as loyal a following as any other major sport,” said Simon Noble of PinnacleSports.com. “Individuals have been betting on the outcome of chess matches for hundreds of years, so we felt it was only natural to offer the world a way to bet on the U.S. Chess League. This is our first foray in offering wagering on domestic chess leagues but not our first venture in handicapping the sport, after making history by posting betting lines on the recent FIDE World Chess Championship.”
