SALT LAKE CITY—As millions of Latter-day Saints prepare for the semiannual General Conference this weekend, an entirely new demographic has taken interest in the proceedings: sports bettors.
Thanks to the recent addition of LDS Conference to FanDuel’s list of bettable events, gamblers worldwide are feverishly placing wagers on a variety of outcomes, from the number of new temple announcements to the likelihood that President Russell M. Nelson’s microphone will briefly cut out.
“The action has been insane,” said FanDuel oddsmaker Chuck Whelan. “We’ve never had to set a line for the phrase ‘my dear brothers and sisters,’ but based on last year’s data, we’re putting the over/under at 114.5.”
High-Stakes Predictions Draw Heavy Interest
Among the most popular bets:
- First speaker to cry – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is the current favorite at -250, though Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf remains a sleeper pick at +400.
- Total temple announcements – Set at 17.5, with heavy action on the over after last April’s surprise temple bonanza.
- First Utah city to get another temple for no discernible reason – Tremonton (-120), Bluffdale (-110), and a surprise dark horse, East Wendover (+900).
- First speaker to reference “The World” as a negative concept – Elder David A. Bednar (-200) leads the pack.
- Will the Relief Society speaker subtly roast men? (Yes: -300, No: +225)
Meme-Ready Prop Bets Gain Popularity
Several wagers have also captured the attention of non-churchgoers and internet meme pages, including:
- Over/Under on the length of the closing prayer – Set at 4 minutes, with a special prop for “Will the prayer accidentally become another talk?”
- Will President Nelson break out another word like “Righteous Envy” to confuse everyone? (Yes: -110, No: -110)
- Will the camera cut to a sleeping audience member? (Yes: +150, No: -200)
- Odds that someone makes an awkward joke about BYU sports and gets zero laughs – Currently at even money.
- Will a speaker use an extended metaphor that makes no sense but gets quoted endlessly on Facebook anyway? (Yes: -500)
Non-Mormons who hope to score big incentives by placing giant bets may be disappointed to learn that FanDuel is offering front row seats to the next General Conference to the highest spenders.
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Faithful Members Express “Conflicted Excitement”
While some active Latter-day Saints have decried the addition of conference betting as “sacrilegious,” many admit they are intrigued.
“I mean, I’m not a gambler, but I might just put $20 on Elder Uchtdorf using an aviation metaphor,” said conference viewer Seth Callister of Rexburg, ID. “It’s basically free money.”
Meanwhile, FanDuel has assured the public that any proceeds from bets placed in Utah will be donated to help recovering Mormons develop a gambling problem, though there’s an over/under set at 2.5 conference talks condemning gambling.
The first session of General Conference kicks off this Saturday, with sportsbooks closely monitoring if Elder Bednar will, once again, refuse to smile.
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