Sports Betting In Age Of COVID-19: How And When Will We Hear ‘Play Ball’ in 2020?
By Daniel Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
And at the bottom of the heap lie the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers at 1,000/1.
Those are the latest futures lines, according to Vegas Insider, as of early May. And judging from the odds, everything would appear to be normal in the world of Major League Baseball.
But these are anything but normal times. The coronavirus pandemic has upended life as we know it and that includes the world of sports and sports betting.
Traditional baseball headlines this time of year might be “Red Sox poised for weekend series against Yankees” or “Orioles flash frustration after latest sweep.”
Today’s headlines have a distinctively different tenor — “Rays plan furlough of some employees” and “Pirates temporarily suspend 401k” are just a couple.
Among the headlines is perhaps the most intriguing, however, is “MLB opening options include 3 divisions.”
As The Associated Press recently reported, Major League Baseball is reviewing several alternatives that could allow the season to start, including one that would split the 30 teams might into three regional divisions. Obviously, the plan would hinge on medical conditions.
That plan would break up traditional American and National Leagues alignments. Notably, it would cut travel during the coronavirus pandemic, The AP reported.
Another version would have teams begin play in Arizona, Texas and Florida, playing in empty ballparks. If medical conditions improve, the news service reported, teams could switch later to their regular-season ballparks. Presuming conditions improve later in the year, teams possibly could start playing before fans with only a percentage of seats sold.
MLB also is considering expanding the playoffs beyond the current 10-team format, The AP reported. Officials have discussed extending the playoffs into November or possibly even December, using domed ballparks and warm-weather cities.
A World Series-style playoff in the days leading up to Christmas and Hanukkah at T-Mobile Park in Seattle? Why not?
But would baseball fans and baseball bettors buy into the plan?
Probably. Albeit grudgingly.
Any kind of professional baseball, even that played on a patched-together schedule without cheering fans in the bleachers, box seats or high-ticket luxury boxes, is better than nothing.
Still, a lot of events still have to unfold. And health officials along with sports officials would want to see at least a moderation in cases and deaths from COVID-19.
Oddsmakers, too, would have to buy into the games.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has pointedly said hotels and casinos will not be part of the first wave of reopenings in the Silver State. And the mobile betting app from Station Casinos LLC currently says only, “Mobile wagering is not available. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and hope to be back in business as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, there’s an occasional replay of a key MLB game on ESPN.
If you’re lucky, perhaps you still have “Bull Durham” or “The Natural” on DVD.
