American Idol Ratings Hit Low Mark: G911 Cold Shoulder
Tuesday night's edition of American Idol had the lowest ratings since the first summer it went on the air.
Even more telling is that Gambling911.com has elected to mostly ignore the show that at one time created its own betting season.
"March, April, May were traditionally among our most trafficked periods with American Idol airing," explains Payton O'Brien, Gambling911.com Senior Editor. "Flocks of bettors would come to the site looking for odds on Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry and David Cook."
The American Idol finale in particular was seen as a mini Super Bowl. Some online gambling sites capitalized on the programs success during its "peak" years.
"Betting interest in the show started to dwindle two years ago," O'Brien says.
Dancing With The Stars has now overtaken American Idol in the ratings. Gambling911.com still covers that show and there is some interest in betting on DWTS. The Results Show for Dancing With The Stars typically draws a decent audience to the Gambling911.com website.
Gambling911.com was once the leader in providing all the latest American Idol odds updates. Other programs that have enjoyed successful followings among gamblers include last season's installment of Celebrity Apprentice, which feature poker pro Annie Duke going at it with Joan Rivers (though betting on the program was not necessarily all that popular compared to following the exploits of Ms. Duke). Great Britain's Big Brother was extraordinarily popular with gamblers at its peak.
It remains to be seen as to whether Simon Cowell's next project, America's Got Talent, results in a betting bonanza. Britain's Got Talent, featuring Susan Boyle last year, did gain momentum among the betting sect, though much of the traffic for Gambling911.com came from within the United States (thanks to the Susan Boyle phenomenon) and few could tune in to the actual show.
Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com
