The Fourth of July plays host to a myriad of treasured American traditions every year, including an annual event that has taken place on Coney Island since 1972. The Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest will air on ESPN Thursday, with coverage beginning at 10:45 a.m. But the competition will be missing some serious star power this year.
Joey Chestnut, who has become a household name after winning the men’s hot dog eating tournament in 16 of the past 17 years, was banned from the event this year after signing a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods.
However, there will still be plenty of competitors to bet on, even if the GOAT won’t be in Brooklyn. Odds for the men’s and women’s hot dog eating contests are available at DraftKings Sportsbook, and on the men’s side Geoffrey Esper enters as the favorite to win at -120, with James Webb following at +220.
Esper holds the world records in eating Spam, chicken wings, tamales, and pretzels, but has never won the Nathan’s contest thanks to Chestnut standing in his way. He finished in second place last year, and has a personal record of 51 hot dogs consumed during the 10-minute competition window.
On the women’s side, Miki Sudo is essentially a lock at -1600. Sudo has won the event nine times in the past 10 years, missing only the 2021 competition while she was pregnant. The wife of fellow competitive eater Nick Wehry, Sudo is the greatest women’s competitor ever in the discipline, with 48.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes just one of her dozens of world records for her gender.
ESPN3 will air the women’s tournament at 10:45 a.m. ET, and ESPN2 will host the men’s tournament at noon ET. Below is the full list of odds for the men’s and women’s tournaments.
Updated odds, July 4 12:20 p.m.
Men’s odds
Geoffrey Esper -130
James Webb +185
Patrick Bertoletti +900
Nick Wehry +1500
Field +2500
Gideon Oji +5000
Derek Hendrickson +10000
Darrien Thomas +10000
Max Stanford +10000
George Chiger +10000
Previous odds
Men’s odds
Geoffrey Esper -120
James Webb +200
Nick Wehry +550
Patrick Bertoletti +800
Field +2500
Gideon Oji +4000
Derek Hendrickson +7500
Darrien Thomas +7500
Max Stanford +7500
George Chiger +7500
Women’s odds
Miki Sudo -1600
Mayoi Ebihara +700
Michelle Lesco +2000
Field +5000
Katie Prettyman +7500
Larell Marie Mele +10000