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It's no secret to Gambling911.com readers that the Donald Trump-owned Miss Universe is one of the most wagered on entertainment events. Miss USA has never enjoyed the same sort of attention...that is until now.
"This year we have what some is saying is a ‘racy' lingerie shoot involving the contestants," Gambling911.com Senior Editor Payton O'Brien observed. "Like or hate the idea, Miss USA is getting plenty of press ahead of Sunday's show and we are seeing plenty of betting interest already, more so than in any previous year."
Then there is the promise of the biggest payout in beauty pageant history.
Sportsbook.com released odds on Miss District of Columbia (Miss Washington, DC) at 5000-1 for a payout potential of $50,000 on every $10 bet.
"So far, there haven't been a whole lot of takers," discloses Dave Stanley, spokesperson for Sportsbook.com. He pointed out that the odds remain a very long 5000-1.
The favorite to win this year's Miss USA contest is Miss California at +500 or 5/1 odds.
It was last year's Miss California, Carrie Prejean, who, for good or for bad, helped raise the bar for the Miss USA Pageant. We all know the saying "There's no such thing as bad press".
Prejean received nationwide attention over her response to a question about same-sex marriage during the 2009 Miss USA pageant. Prejean was asked by pageant judge Perez Hilton, who is gay, whether she believed every U.S. state should legalize same-sex marriage. She responded,
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Well I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And, you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that's how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman
Prejean had her contract voided after a photograph of Prejean partially nude with her back turned to the camera appeared on a celebrity gossip.
Despite the controversy, last year's Miss USA failed to score huge ratings. With 5 million viewers, that was down a fairly standard 12 percent from last year, and a pretty steep 32 percent from 2007. In fact, the live event scored its lowest ratings ever.
With the so-called "lingerie controversy" one can only think Miss USA's extensive pre-telecast hype can only help to draw ratings....not to mention gamblers.
Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com
