May 19, 2020
Suchat Pederson/The News Journal via USA TODAY
Just because there aren't a lot of local sports being played doesn't mean there's nothing to bet on.
In mid-March, when the sports world essentially shut itself completely down due to COVID-19, there was a gigantic void, not only for sports fans but for gamblers as well. Action started shifting from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Los Angeles weather.
But now, as we can almost see out the other side of this (as far as sports go) — with major American sports leagues plotting their returns this summer — the menu of live athletic events to either view or bet on is returning to normal.
Sure, there hasn't been a single MLB game played yet, but there is baseball being played on the other side of the world, as well as other sports, both conventional and weird, that can add some "juice" to this otherwise lonely and regimented time.
Here's a look at some of the things currently taking place, and taking bets, in the sports world. We'll use William Hill, just one of many sports books making the best of a once in a lifetime sports situation, as an example:
We don't have any tips on which Russian ping pong player to place your bets on, though Andrey Kirilenko — who is decidedly not the same person as former NBA player Andrei Kirilenko — does appear to be a mega favorite over Vladimir Safonov in their Tuesday match.
Table tennis and darts are about as weird as it gets. But desperate times do call for desperate measures.
Competitive soccer is actually being played in 22 different leagues across 13 different countries every day now, including Bundesliga in Germany and Austria, the Premier League in Belarus, and Primera Division in Costa Rica.
Bets on futures and in individual matches are being taken with a full slate of games every single day (though many of them early in the morning).
Rugby future bets are underway in Australia while live tennis is being played in Serbia. Baseball is also being played professionally in Korea, with games broadcast in the Unites States (on ESPN).
The Toyota 500 is taking place this week, with Kevin Harvick favored in the race at +450. It will be broadcast on FS1.
UFC's Fight Night 173 is happening as well, at the end of the month in Florida, following successful fights over the past few weeks.
And of course, there is golf, which is staging a should-be epic battle next weekend with Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning facing off in a match against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady (Woods and Manning are the favorites, by the way).
All of this in addition to futures bets on the NFL, and other pro major sports are still available on betting platforms everywhere.
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