Gluttony meets glory on the Fourth of July when some of the world's best competitive eaters face off in arguably the most iconic competitive eating competition, the 2024 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in New York City. Geoffrey Esper of Oxford, Mass., has been installed as the -120 favorite in the men's division in the Hot Dog Eating Contest odds. Meanwhile on the women's side, nine-time Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Miki Sudo is the overwhelming -1200 favorite. The event is set to begin at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday. 

Before you make any Hot Dog Eating Contest picks or predictions, you need to see what SportsLine writer Matt Severance has to say. 

Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, he quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. Anyone who has consistently followed him is way up.

For the 2024 Hot Dog Eating Contest, we can tell you Severance is picking Geoffrey Esper to cover the 9.5 hot dog spread (-120) against Miki Sudo. "Esper trains for this event by cooking 50 dogs, putting them on a platter and seeing if he can down them all in 10 minutes," Severance told SportsLine.

Moreover, Severance has locked in two other best bets, including one that would pay plus-money. You ABSOLUTELY need to see what they are before locking in any 2024 Hot Dog Eating Contest picks of your own.

So what are the best bets for the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest? ... Join SportsLine right now to get Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2024 picks, all from the betting expert who has worked in the industry since 2005.