Sportsbook App Adds Live Odds On Under-8 Youth Soccer, Area Dad Down $340 By Halftime

OVERLAND PARK, KS — Calling it the last untapped market in American sports, betting app ParlayPal announced Tuesday that it now offers live in-game wagering on recreational under-8 soccer, a product local father Greg Dorsey, 44, had used to lose $340 before the orange slices came out.

"I had the Lightning Bugs minus two and a half, which felt safe, because their striker is a full year older than everybody," said Dorsey, refreshing the app on the sideline of Field 6 while his daughter Maddie sat on the ball. "Then the striker's mom showed up with a puppy. Whole team ran to the parking lot. You can't model that."

According to the company, each game carries more than 1,100 betting markets, including how many times a given player will look directly at the sun, whether the goalkeeper will notice the game is happening, and an exact-score market ParlayPal describes as "high volatility, since nobody, including the referee, is keeping score." Users can also bet on which child cries first. The app's terms of service file these under "Emotional Outcomes."

"These parents were already standing out here two hours every Saturday doing nothing with all that attention," said ParlayPal chief growth officer Brent Kessler, speaking from a company tent pitched beside the snack table. "We gave it somewhere to go. Sideline engagement is up 900 percent. Nobody's looking at the field anymore, but they have never been more invested in it."

The rollout has had problems. A ParlayPal integrity officer halted play for 20 minutes Saturday after volunteer referee Dale Pruitt, who earned his certification from a 14-minute online video, was seen giving a thumbs-up to a player. Pruitt was questioned at midfield in front of both teams.

"He asked whether I had a financial relationship with Tyler," Pruitt said. "I'm Tyler's dad. I drove him here. I bought the shin guards, so I guess yes."

The Johnson County Rec Soccer board approved the partnership 4-3 last month after ParlayPal agreed to pay for new nets. Board president Linda Okafor said the vote was "about the nets," adding that the old ones had a hole "you could drive a minivan through, and one time a parent did."

A study released Monday by the Midwest Institute for Recreational Outcomes found that 62 percent of parents at U8 games can now recite the moneyline on their child's team, while 18 percent can name the child's jersey color. Parents surveyed described weekend games as "far more stressful" with "about the same amount of soccer."

Maddie Dorsey, 7, said she liked the new tent because it had free stickers.

At press time, Dorsey had placed a $50 live bet that his daughter would quit soccer before spring, calling it "the one line where I actually have inside information."