Don’t give the messenger a beatdown. Betting on Rough N’ Rowdy is currently not permitted at any legal regulated sportsbook in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
However, other boxing and UFC events are available to bet on at Pennsylvania sports betting apps. You can also visit our exclusive PA sportsbook bonuses page here.
What is Rough N’ Rowdy?
Barstool Sports purchased Rough N’ Rowdy in 2017. It is described as “amateur fighters with no defense throwing haymakers + maximum chaos.”
Rough N’ Rowdy has 257k YouTube subscribers.
The top five most-viewed videos on the Rough N’ Rowdy channel are:
- Fighter craps all over cage mat during fight (17 million)
- Brutal dwarf fight (7.2 million)
- Dwarf fight for championship belt (6.9 million)
- Toothless hillbilly fights young wrestling champ (4 million)
- Tiny hero fights monster man to impress ring girls (2.6 million)
Rough N’ Rowdy 18
Rough N’ Rowdy 18 is on August 19 starting at 8 p.m. at the Mountain Health Arena in West Virginia. It features 20 no headgear fights that include a 1000 lb matchup between America vs Canada, various dwarf fights, title fights and a ring girl contest. Commentary for Rough N’ Rowdy is by Dave Portnoy,”Big Cat” Katz, and Robbie Fox.
Rough N’ Rowdy 18 matchups:
- Lightweight title: Ninja vs. Nighty Night
- Middleweight title: Hollywood vs. Make it Happen
- BMFD title: Dynamite vs. Jamaican Jo
- First ever female dwarf fight: Little Jess vs. Beautiful Bobby Jo
How to watch Rough N’ Rowdy 18
- Buy a one-time pay-per view pass for $29.95
- Attend in-person
Rough N’ Rowdy 15
Rough N’ Rowdy 15 “Capital Punishment” takes place on Aug. 27 at 8 p..m. It’s being held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center in Charleston, West Virginia, and is sanctioned by the West Virginia State Athletic Commission.
A Rough N’ Rowdy event has between 15-20 refereed fights. Head gear is optional, rounds can be no longer than one minute and fights are a maximum of three rounds. Former NFL star Adam “Pacman” Jones makes his boxing debut during RNR 15 when he takes on Bobby Laing.
There are no betting lines on for RNR 15 on Barstool Sportsbook in PA, NJ, Illinois and some other states.
Pacman Jones predicted the outcome of the fight to TMZ:
“With my hand raised as the new motherf—— RNR champ. Bobby Laing, your goddamn winning is over with. The honeymoon has officially ended today. I’m ready to f—ing go. Let’s go.”
For RNR 15, there will be 20 amateur fights, 5 main events , 4’4” vs 4’5” title fight, no headgear and a live ring girl contest. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and Dan “Big Cat” Katz, host of Pardon My Take, will provide the commentary.
Why you can’t bet on Rough N’ Rowdy
It might be maximum chaos in the RNR ring, but gaming regulators are bit more strict.
According to the Pennsylvania Gaming expansion law, in PA you can wager on:
- Professional athletic events
- Collegiate athletic events
- Professional motor race events
- International team and international individual athletic events including those events governed by the International Olympic Committee and the International Federation of Association Football.
Events you can not bet on include:
- High school athletic events governed by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association or a similar governing body.
- Amateur athletic events, other than collegiate athletic events, unless otherwise specifically approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
- Any other sports wagering activity as prohibited by the PGCB.
So, since RNR is an amateur event, it would have be approved by the PGCB.
Rough and Rowdy betting controversy
During RNR 13 in February, Portnoy said Jose Canseco “took a dive” against Billy Football, a Barstool intern. Canseco allegedly still collected $1 million.
Barstool Sportsbook in Michigan offered promotional markets of +400 on both Canseco and Billy, with a $10 maximum bet. A spokesperson for Penn National which owns a 36% stake in Barstool, said winning wagers were paid out.
According to Leon Ramsey, chairman of the WV commission, the commission voted unanimously to suspend Canseco and clear Barstool and others
Barstool partners with PA-based Joe Hand Promotions
Barstool continues to make itself at home in Pennsylvania. Feasterville, Pennsylvania-based Joe Hand Promotions and Barstool Sports announced a partnership with UPshow to deliver Rough and Rowdy to sports bars and restaurants across the country.
Right now, the only way to watch Rough N’ Rowdy is to purchase the event to stream.
Barstool Sports reports 54 million monthly unique visitors with an estimated demographic breakdown of 36% of males and 30% of females in the Millennial and Generation Z age range. Barstool Sports reported that in 2019, it grew approximately 65%, delivering nearly $100 million in revenue from digital and audio advertising, ecommerce, events, licensing and subscription.
Joe Hand, Jr., President of Joe Hand Promotions said:
“We’re very excited to make Rough N’ Rowdy events available on UPshow’s platform. It has allowed us to increase the availability of Rough N’ Rowdy events to commercial venues across the country while providing our customers a convenient, plug-and-play method to live stream the event. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
Joe Hand Sr. is a former Philadelphia cop who started Joe Hand Promotions in the basement of his rowhouse in the early seventies. Since then, Joe Hand Promotions has presented more than 25,000 events to commercial establishments
Lead image from Dave Portnoy’s Instagram.
