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The Inside Scoop on Betting at X Games Aspen

The Inside Scoop on Betting at X Games Aspen

Featured Image: Matt Power | Skier: Hunter Hess


Sports betting is nothing new. But for the first time ever, large-scale legal sports betting has made its way into the heart of freeskiing. This Friday and Saturday at X Games Aspen 2025, you’ll be able to bet on your favorite riders in the Slopestyle, SuperPipe and Big Air events. What does this change mean and how will it affect athletes and fans moving forward? FREESKIER sat down with ALT Sports Data Co-Founder and CMO Todd Ballard to find out.

Betting at the X Games has been a long time coming, almost three years to be exact. Founded in 2021, ALT Sports Data is the company bringing action sports to the attention of larger sports books like Draft Kings, bet365, ESPN Bet and more. The company acts as a middleman, collecting data points as its team of data scientists pours over the numbers and compiles odds, relaying that information to the Draft Kings of the world.

But as we learned from Ballard, there’s a lot more to be said on the company’s mission and how the move will impact the world of action sports. There are good arguments on all sides, but Ballard is sure that betting will prove to be a positive for freeskiing, snowboarding and more.

His word has weight, as he’s not just a rich outsider looking to profit off a new industry. He’s been working in the world of action sports since the 1990s, recently wrapping up a storied career at GoPro. “I left GoPro in 2020 and took some needed time off,” Ballard said. “I started to think with a new perspective, and several conversations with a friend left me wondering what we could do to boost engagement and revenue in these [action] sports that I knew firsthand. Freeskiing, surfing, snowboarding—these sports have massive, passionate fan bases behind them, and the content is incredibly engaging, so we started thinking about how we can get more people to pay attention and see what we see.”

In 2021, Ballard and a friend saw how in Colorado, legalized gambling around professional ping pong pushed millions of dollars and eyeballs toward the industry. Using this as a case study, they began wondering if the same could be done for the sports they knew and loved. “Nobody has implemented gambling in action sports before, and I think that’s just because you need someone who knows the industry to make it happen,” he told us. Along with Joe Dunnigan and Michael Jordan, (not that Michael Jordan), Ballard founded ALT Sports Data soon after.

Alex Hall greases a rainbow rail on his way to Slopestyle silver last year at X Games Aspen | Photo: Matt Power

Now, three years after the company’s creation, their vision to bring legalized, regulated gambling to the X Games is finally happening. But what’s the point? What good does it do for the athletes and fans to be able to bet on Mathilde Gremaud or Alex Hall? Doesn’t this take away from the counter-culture that flows through freeskiing?

Those are just a few of the many good questions ALT Sports Data has been asked. But Ballard says no, this is not a step backward, but a step forward. In his eyes, it’s about time that professional skiers and boarders received the attention and subsequent financial compensation they deserve.

“Our hope is that these sports grow and reach the level that we all think they should be at. These are some of the best athletes on the planet, and they work extremely hard to master their crafts.” Ballard continued, “[Athletes] shouldn’t have to worry about prize money just to stay afloat. To make that happen, we’re focused on getting people who are not skiers, surfers or skateboarders to tune in and care about the sports. For me, the holy grail has been the idea that some fan in Wisconsin wants to know who Gabriel Madina from WSL is.”

It’s an interesting viewpoint, but the analogy that followed in our conversation made a lot of sense. “The Kentucky Derby is such a great example,” Ballard said. “If you bet just two bucks on a horse, suddenly, you want to know about that horse, where it’s from, how it races and all that. But if you don’t have that incentive, then it’s just a horse running around a track, and you’ll never tune in.”

Ballard’s point was not to compare action sports athletes to horses but rather to point out that most people see action sports as distant, unrelatable or strange. That means less eyes and less money coming in. Giving people a means to be invested, both metaphorically and literally, helps to draw attention and allows new viewers to begin seeing the passion and intensity within skiing.

ALT Sports Data now partners with over 20 leagues, including X Games, World Surf League, Formula 1 and Supercross, with the latter being an excellent example of the program’s financial success. “We launched Supercross, and in the first week, we outperformed the PGA in terms of wager volume. The interest is clearly there, and now we need to educate consumers to build a loyal fan base. That means more eyes, more brand engagement and more money for the athletes. That’s the goal.”

The risk of gambling is also a prominent factor that Ballard is well aware of. “We don’t want to create degenerate gamblers,” he stated clearly. “That’s bad for people, and it’s bad for business in the long run. Nobody wins when that happens. We’re striving to create engaging entertainment and we’re taking steps to ensure that’s what happens. We’re not rushing to bring this to market. We’ve been careful to take our time, and ensure that every possible precaution and warning is in place.”

The X Games page of the NXT Bets site is a resource the company has set up, built to educate fans on athletes, odds, responsible gambling and more. It’s certainly not a one-stop solution, but it’s a positive addition.

Of course, there will always be those who object to any change. Ballard is well aware of those who say this is for the worse, and he seems to understand where they’re coming from. “Change is always scary, and there’s a risk to shaking things up. When Monster and Red Bull entered the scene, there was valid backlash. I saw it happen. Energy drinks aren’t great for you, after all. But today, these companies have brought more money, engagement and eyes to these sports than almost any other factor. They’ve helped create real, sustainable career paths for athletes and industry people. That’s a positive, and I truly believe this will be similar.”

Whether or not Ballard and ALT Sports Data succeed in their vision remains to be seen. But they are absolutely right about something: change is always scary, inevitable and necessary. We know that athlete’s winnings in competitive freeskiing pale in comparison to the effort they put in. Just look at the breakdown halfpipe skier Nick Goepper compiled based on his earnings last season. Goepper earned around $7.5k with a third place, two fourth place and a fifth place finish on the World Cup halfpipe circuit. Had he won at the same rate in professional darts, he would have earned a staggering $235k.

Is this because darts is harder harder than competing in SuperPipe? No. It’s because more people watch darts, and companies invest more money. By getting more casual fans to pay attention, Ballard is hoping that this will pressure companies to invest more money, upping the revenue for the athletes involved.

If our sport is to not just survive but grow, there needs to be viable career paths for more riders, not just for the top 5% of competitors. Legalized betting is not the final answer, but it just might be the first step in a more sustainable financial future for freeskiers around the world.

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