THE 51st Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest will occur on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. An American Fourth of July tradition, this competitive hot dog eating contest includes men and women scarfing down as many hot dogs as humanly possible within the 10-minute time limit.
As you can imagine, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest odds favor two previous champions, but before going into the competition, let's see who the “Nathan” is in the “Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.”
There are rumors that the first-ever hot dog eating contest took place on Coney Island, New York—the site of the yearly speed eating contest today—when Nathan Handwerker and his wife Ida opened a hot dog stand. The story also suggests that this was a way for the immigrants at the time coming through Ellis Island to demonstrate who was the most patriotic. While that’s a nice story, that appears to be mostly marketing. Still, it’s some excellent folklore to think of during the event each year.
Below, we’ll look at the betting odds for the competition and see who will take the title in 2023.
Top Nathan’s hot dog eating contest odds
As the highly anticipated Nathan's hot dog eating contest approaches, let's take a closer look at the top contenders and their odds of emerging victorious.
Men's outright winner:
Women's outright winner:
Our top bookies for betting on Nathan’s hot dog eating contest
- DraftKings (Available in: AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, and WY)
- BetMGM (Available in: AZ, CO, IN, IA, MI, MS, NY, LA, PA, TN, VA, WA, WV, and WY)
- BetRivers (Available in: AZ, IL, IN, IA, MI, PA, VA, NY, LA, and OH)
- Unibet (Available in: AZ, IN, PA, and VA)
- Desert Diamond Sports (Available in: AZ)
When does Nathan’s hot dog eating contest happen every year?
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place every July 4 to celebrate Independence Day in the United States. It’s been a yearly tradition since 1972.
Where is Nathan’s hot dog eating contest held?
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is held at Nathan’s Famous Corporation’s original restaurant. This is located at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.
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Who is this year’s favorite to win the contest?
Based on odds circulating outside of DraftKings and BetMGM, the favorites are Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo for the men’s and women’s competitions, respectively.
How many times has Joey Chestnut won Nathan’s hot dog eating contest?
Since 2007, Joey Chestnut has won the yearly competition except in 2015, marking 15 total victories. He lost in 2015 to Matt Stonie, who ate 62 compared to Chestnut’s 60.
Who can beat Joey Chestnut this year?
This year’s top competition to Chestnut is Geoffrey Esper, a 48-year-old from Oxford, Massachusetts. Esper has smashed multiple eating records, including 83 slices of John’s Incredible Pizza in 10 minutes, 281 Hooters wings in 10 minutes, and most recently, 9.75 pounds of SPAM in eight minutes.
How to place a bet on Nathan’s hot dog eating contest
Placing a bet on Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is done like you’d make other bets. If you’re a new bettor, here’s how you do it:
- Create an account at DraftKings or BetMGM online sportsbook.
- Deposit funds into your account.
- Navigate back to the homepage.
- Find the list of available sports/contests to wager on.
- Locate Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest page.
- Here, you’ll find betting options for the eaters.
- Select the competitor you want to bet on, and the betslip will appear.
- Put in the amount you want to wager on your top eater and confirm it.
Like to eat hot dogs at football games? Why not bet on the NFL here?
When was betting on Nathan’s hot dog eating contest first allowed in the US?
There are a lot of rumors and folklore surrounding the first-ever hot dog eating contest, but as far as Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, the first one was in 1972.
Where can I watch Nathan’s hot dog eating contest?
You can watch Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN, which has held broadcasting rights for 20 years and has a deal through 2029. The spectacle broadcast begins at 10:45 am ET, with the women’s competition with the men following at noon ET. You can also watch re-airings of the event across various ESPN networks on July 4, starting at 5 pm ET.
How many people watch Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
Last year, there were around 1.03 million viewers who watched the men's event replay on ESPN. While the numbers dropped during the pandemic, they've shot up over the past two years.
What are the world records for Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
Joey Chestnut, the current reigning champion, broke the world record for men in 2021 when he ate 76 hot dog buns and won the championship. In 2020, Miki Sudo broke the women's record by eating 48.5 hot dog buns during the Major League Eating official event.
Is horse racing more to your taste? Check out our preview of Stephen Foster Stakes.
Our top tips for betting on eating contests
- Focus on prop bets - The prop betting market is where you’ll want to wager on this event. As previous winners, Chesnut and Sudo will be massive moneyline favorites, leaving little line value. While it’s not confirmed, a projected prop bet for Chestnut’s total number of hotdogs is 73.5 or 74.5. He ate just 63 last year, but he topped that mark the two years prior, including 76 in 2021. Bet the over if this is the line. The stomach of these contestants is unmatched.
- Is Chestnut upset? - For bettors, it might be worth it to place a small wager on Esper. He was the runner-up to Chestnut last year, and Chestnut is coming off of a down year. Still, the line value isn’t all that valuable, considering Chestnut’s dominance.
- Does Michelle Lesco attempt a comeback? - Sudo sat out the 2021 competition as she was expecting her first child, and Lesco took home the title. Like Esper, the line value on Lesco is projected to be less than +1000, so the value is limited, but an upset could be possible.
- Look for Sudo/Chestnut combined props - You should be able to find props for the total hot dogs each of these top competitors can eat. A line of 116.5 seems doable considering Sudo’s ability to eat 40 and Chestnut at around 70 or so. If Chestnut can eat 74 or more, Sudo would need to eat 43, something she hasn’t done since 2020. The volume might not quite be there for these champs.
Good luck with this year's betting on Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest!
About the author
Richard Janvrin
Richard Janvrin brings nearly a decade of experience covering sports, sports betting, and everything iGaming. Richard received his bachelor's degree in Journalism/English from the University of New Hampshire. Throughout his career, Richard has written for sites like Bleacher Report, Forbes, The Game Day, WSN, Gambling.com, and many more.
Find him on Twitter: @RichardJanvrin
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