As America celebrates 250 years of independence, two of the nation's favorite pastimes -- gluttony and gambling -- will be on display Saturday at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Contest on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.
Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, the two defending champions, are footlong favorites to win the men's and women's contests, respectively. Chestnut is listed at -2000 at DraftKings, meaning bettors would have to risk $2,000 to win $100, while Sudo is a -1200 favorite.
Patrick Bertoletti is the second choice in the men's contest, behind Chestnut, at 10-1, followed by James Webb (22-1) and Geoffrey Esper (30-1). Despite the pricey odds, Chestnut has attracted more bets to win at DraftKings than the rest of the field combined.
Michelle Lesco (8-1) is the second favorite in the women's contest.
The over/under on total hot dogs and buns (HBDs) eaten by Chestnut is set at 70.5, that's 20,455 calories and the same amount he ate last year in 10 minutes to win his 17th mustard belt. Sudo's over/under is 38.5. She ate 51 HBDs to win last year's contest.
The contest has had a cult following in the gambling world for decades. Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading for Caesars Sportsbook, said the event attracts lots of small bets and has become so popular in recent years that they began offering same-game parlays on the contest.
"Customers really grilled us on the under parlays [last year]," Mucklow said.
Eric Fenstermaker, who is head of trading for Caesars and oversees the hot dog contest odds, told ESPN he believes the density of last year's buns hindered eaters to a degree but said he expects the total HBDs to skew back toward historical norms this year.
Richard Shea, co-founder and president of Major League Eating, told ESPN that he was unaware of any controversy about the condition of the buns in last season's contest, but said it's not uncommon for competitors to cite certain conditions as factors year over year.
"Like tennis at Roland Garros or football in Green Bay, the hot dog eating contest occurs outdoors," Shea told ESPN. "The extent to which weather impacts the playing field, in this case the dog and bun combo, is unknown. But rest assured, MLE [Major League Eating] and Nathan's Famous go to great lengths to present competitors with a consistent and level playing field."
Coverage of the women's competition begins at 10:45 a.m. ET, in the ESPN App. The men's contest will be simulcast on ABC and ESPN2 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Temperatures are expected to climb into the 90s during Saturday's contest. Contestants are required to keep their HBDs down, as any "reversal of fortune" results in disqualification.
