Did You Know New York Ranks High for Competitive Eating?

I enjoy eating and I don't always know when to stop and I've said this many times, "I'm eating like I'm on a timer."  Maybe what I need to do is get my stretchy pants out and become a competitive eater.

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Competitive eating pits people against each other as they attempt to eat huge amounts of food in just a little bit of time. More and more places in the United States are getting in on the action and that means that we’re seeing more professional eating contests.

Everyone has heard of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the 10 minutes to glory that will last a lifetime. The event is broadcast by ESPN with about two million viewers with another 40,000+ fans in attendance.

That's just the beginning. Did you know that in 2023, there are 17 Major League Eating contests throughout America? In fact, there is a  Major League Eating (MLE) league that has both men and women professional competitive eaters.

They may be in a league of their own, but I'm sure there is room for more. So where do you start? Gambling.com has put together a list of the best states for competitive eating in 2023.

The Best States for Competitive Eating

This surprised me a little, the best state for competitive eating is none other than Nevada. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised because the Silver State is filled with buffets and big food challenges. Coming in 2nd place is Illinois, followed by Indiana in 3rd place. So where does New York rank?

New York found itself in 7th place. From hot dog eating contests at Coney Island to eating massive slices of pizza to eating buckets of Buffalo wings, The Empire State has a lot of different kinds of eating competitions.

If you like a good food challenge or have a bottomless pit of a stomach, check out the rest of the list of the top 10 competitive eating states and Bon Appetit!