TN Sports Betting Apps We’d Like To See: The Grand Ole Opry Sportsbook

Posted on February 19, 2020 - Last Updated on August 14, 2024

Regulators continue to ready Tennessee for online sports betting. Much still needs to happen before sports fans can start downloading apps and placing bets. However, once all is in place the state will be in a unique position. Operators wishing to offer online betting apps will not be bound to partnerships with existing casinos or racetracks. That is not the case in most other states.

In other words, any company can potentially apply for a Tennessee sportsbook, as long as it is willing to pay the licensing fee and get in the game. There’s also no limit on the number of available licenses. This means there’s a decent likelihood for some non-traditional online sportsbooks to appear.

Last week we suggested how Graceland could get involved with an Elvis Presley-themed sports betting app. Letting our thoughts roam up I-40 East from Memphis to Nashville, the iconic Grand Ole Opry seems another possibility or at least one we’d like to see.

Country music and sports betting, a harmonious history

Founded in 1925, the Grand Ole Opry has served as the capital of country music for nearly a century. The program began as a modest one-hour music program broadcast on Nashville’s WSM during the earliest days of radio. “The Opry” had listeners all over the South before growing into a national phenomenon after being syndicated on NBC starting in 1939.

By then the one-hour “WSM Barn Dance” show had already evolved into a four-hour showcase of musical talent. Today the show still airs on WSM. It also boradcasts several times a week on satellite radio.

Country music and sports go hand-in-hand. A few songs that spring to mind include:

  • Kenny Chesney’s football homage The Boys of Fall
  • Opry member Charlie Daniels’ tribute to NASCAR luminary Dale EarnhardtThe Intimidator
  • John Fogerty’s seventh-inning stretch staple “Centerfield” which he performed on the Opry stage a few years ago along with Brad Paisley

And, of course, there’s no shortage of gambling-related country fare. Jimmie Rodgers’ “In the Jailhouse Now” and Merle Haggard’sKentucky Gambler” written by Dolly Parton focus on the perils of too much risk and not enough reward. Elsewhere, Kenny Rogers’The Gambler” counters with useful lessons when placing bets in the game of life.

Turn Nashville into Cashville with these Opry-themed promos

With such a rich and varied history of artistic achievement from which to draw, there’s great potential for all sorts of Grand Ole Opry-themed promotions for their online sportsbook. We’re happy to offer a few suggestions.

• The Minnie Pearl: For new sign-ups, an initial $10 bet with a $1.98 price tag like the one that dangled from Opry legend Minnie Pearl’s hat to welcome customers with a “HowwwwdeeEEEE!!!”

• The Johnny Cash: A matched deposit bonus to help out when you walk the lines

• The Pickin’ and Grinnin’: If you feel especially happy about a wager, make it with this one-time promo named from the “Hee Haw” segment made famous by Opry alum Roy Clark and Buck Owens. Earn a bonus bet if your pick is a winner!

•”When You’re Hot, You’re Hot“: Jerry Reed’s early 1970s hit was about shooting craps, but could also mean winning a bonus bet for hitting a certain number of consecutive qualifying wagers correctly

• “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night“: inspired by current Opry member Carrie Underwood’s SNF theme, place a bet on the Sunday Night NFL game and be automatically entered in a drawing. Once the game kicks off, find out if you’ve won a bonus bet for Monday Night’s game

• The “Old Town Road” parlay: from the Lil Nas X-Billy Ray Cyrus smash that Cyrus performed on the Opry stage last July, build a parlay consisting only of road teams. If you win, you earn a bonus bet

We could Foggy Mountain Breakdown more reasons why a Grand Old Opry-themed online sportsbook seems a good fit. For now though, we’ll hope whoever makes the decision will say I Saw the Light and realize it could become the Rocky Top choiceamong TN sports bettors.

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Martin Harris

Martin Harris is a writer and teacher who has reported on poker, online gambling, and sports betting since the mid-2000s. Once a full-time academic (Ph.D., English), he currently teaches part-time in the American Studies program at UNC Charlotte. His book Poker & Pop Culture was published by D&B Books in 2019.

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