Coronavirus Pandemic & US Sports – The State of Play
Big Decisions Required Before US Sports Return to Action
These are barren times for sports fans across the globe, as the coronavirus pandemic sees a near total shutdown of sports tournaments and events.
The vast majority of sports in the USA remains suspended at the time of writing, which in turn means there is very limited scope for sports betting. Numerous US sports tournaments have been affected, with season’s either having been postponed or having had their start delayed.
NBA & NHL Suspended
The NBA and NHL were both postponed indefinitely with each of them coming towards the end of the regular season and with the battle for post-season play-off places at a critical stage.
Dear NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB: If you try to play games in empty stadiums/arenas, the mobs of shutdown protesters reclaiming “their” streets will be at your gates, demanding to sit in “their” seats and watch “their” teams. Good luck with that.
— Dave Hodge (@davehodge20) April 19, 2020
Once a date for the resumption of both tournaments has been agreed upon, a decision will need to be made as to whether the remaining games in the regular season are to be played or, failing that, some agreement will need to be reached as to reducing the number of games played and a format found to decide upon which teams secure play-offs places and how they then proceed.
For example, the 2020 Major League Baseball season was scheduled to begin on March 26th, but MLB announced that the season would be postponed indefinitely as the extent of the coronavirus pandemic became apparent.
NFL to Remain Unaffected?
The one sport in the USA that has been relatively unaffected to date is the NFL. The season isn’t scheduled to start on 10th September although, as with every other sporting event, that clearly depends on developments in dealing with Covid-19.
NFL considers playing in empty stadiums with 2020 season set to start in September: report https://t.co/RXli7RwIsV pic.twitter.com/Ixu72n3N2i
— The Hill (@thehill) April 16, 2020
Golf’s first major tournament of the year, The Masters, was also postponed, while the Boston Marathon has had to be rescheduled for September.
Elsewhere, a vast number of American athletes have had to reschedule their plans with regards to the 2020 Summer Olympics. These were originally scheduled to take place between 24 July and 09 August 2020, but have now been rescheduled for 23 July to 08 August 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Way Forward
There were recently hopes for a return to UFC action, but plans to hold UFC 249 on 18th April on an undisclosed private island came to nothing when the “powers that be” at pay-per-view broadcast partner ESPN and parent company Disney intervened according to UFC president Dana White.
There is potentially some cause for optimism, with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the USA’s top infectious diseases expert, having said that the only way professional sports will happen this summer is by holding events without fans in attendance and by keeping players in hotels.
That’s clearly not an ideal scenario, but it could be the best available option in the near future for the sports themselves, the teams, players, fans and those of us who enjoy betting on US sports.
Latest related offers
bet365’s ITV Racing 4/1 Offer
Back a winner at 4/1 or more and get a risk free bet on the next live ITV race (up to £50) at bet365.
Offer applies to first single bet placed. Applies to Win and Each-Way Fixed Odds markets and Enhanced Place Terms markets only. Bet restrictions and T&Cs apply. New and eligible customers only.
18+ only /BeGambleAware
How it works:
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Place a Win or Each Way single bet at odds of 4/1 or more on any horse running in a race televised live on ITV Racing.
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If your first single bet on that race wins, you will qualify for a risk free bet to the same stake (up to £50*) on the next race broadcast live on ITV Racing.
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Place your risk free bet using existing funds and if the bet loses we will refund your stake (up to £50*).
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If your risk free bet also wins at odds of 4/1 or more, you qualify for a risk free bet on the next race televised live on ITV Racing.*or currency equivalent
| Day | Race | |
|---|---|---|
| Last ITV Racing 4/1 Offer Race | 21st March – 3.40 Thurles |
- This offer is only available to new and eligible customers.
- This offer applies to the FIRST single bet placed by a customer on each race shown live on ITV Racing.
- This offer will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, any refund amount or subsequent risk free bet amount will be equal to the remaining active stake.
- If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, any refund amount will be equal to the new stake and not the original stake. Where a risk free bet is changed using Edit Bet, no refund will be given and the offer will no longer apply.
- Where more than one selection in the same race is placed on the same bet slip, the first selection is deemed to be the one which is highest on the bet slip.
- Offer applies to bets placed on Win and Each Way Fixed Odds markets and Enhanced Place Terms markets only. All other markets, including adjusted place terms (Each Way Extra), Ante-Post bets and Tote/Pari-Mutuel/Colossus (bets and dividends), are excluded from this offer.
- Bets must be placed in the usual way and can be paid for from either your Withdrawable Balance or Bet Credits. Bets placed from your Withdrawable Balance will be refunded to your Withdrawable Balance and bets placed using Bet Credits will be refunded as Bet Credits.
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This offer is only available to new and eligible customers. You can see a full list of your available offers by logging in and selecting the Offers section on mobile or the Promotions section on desktop. bet365 maintains a record of customer contact in relation to eligibility for offers and this record, including the date and time of any restrictions being imposed, will be final in the event of any dispute.
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Offer applies to the FIRST single bet placed by a customer on each race broadcast live on ITV Racing following the final declarations. Where more than one selection in the same race is placed on the same bet slip, the first selection is deemed to be the one which is highest on the bet slip. Offer applies to bets placed on Win and Each Way Fixed Odds markets and Enhanced Place Terms markets only.
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Maximum risk free bet amount is £50* per customer, per race. Risk free bet winnings exclude stake. Bets must be placed in the usual way and can be paid for from either your Withdrawable Balance or Bet Credits. If your risk free bet loses, your stake will be refunded to your account within one hour of the race finishing. Bets placed from your Withdrawable Balance will be refunded to your Withdrawable Balance and bets placed with Bet Credits will be refunded as Bet Credits.
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In the event of ITV Racing not showing all races live, risk free bets will stand as per the bet365 ITV Racing 4/1 Offer Race Schedule advertised on site.
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If you back the winner of the last ITV Racing 4/1 Offer Race on any day, your risk free bet will be the first bet you place on the next ITV Racing 4/1 Offer Race to take place.
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If you are entitled to a risk free bet and ITV Racing broadcast an additional race then this will be added to the ITV Racing 4/1 Offer Race Schedule, so your risk free bet will be the first bet you place on this race.
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Adjusted place terms (Each Way Extra), Ante-Post bets and Tote/Pari-Mutuel/Colossus (bets and dividends), are excluded from this offer.
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Adjusted place terms (Each Way Extra) markets refers to prices which do not match the Win and Each Way market displayed in the Fixed Odds tab on the racecard, either because the price has been taken from the Each Way Extra tab or the place terms for the bet have been adjusted via the bet slip. Bets placed at such terms will not count for this offer.
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The 4/1 limit refers to the adjusted odds after any dead-heat, Rule 4 or unnamed joint/co-favourite. If your risk free bet is an Each Way selection that is placed, and the return on the bet is less than the total stake, we will refund the difference between your return and the total stake. If your return is greater than the total stake then no refund will be given.
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This offer only includes races broadcast on ITV Racing unless otherwise stated by bet365.
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This offer only applies to bets placed via mobile, tablet or desktop. Bets placed using our Telephone Betting service will not qualify for this offer.
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Where you are unable to place the maximum risk free bet amount due to restrictions on your bet, we will credit the difference between the maximum risk free bet returns and your actual returns.
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This offer will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, any refund amount or subsequent risk free bet amount will be equal to the remaining active stake.
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If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, any refund amount will be equal to the new stake and not the original stake. Where a risk free bet is changed using Edit Bet, no refund will be given and the offer will no longer apply.
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This offer is only available to customers residing in Great Britain and Republic of Ireland.
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Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to enhanced payments, Free Bets, risk free bets, Bet Credits or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 may reclaim the enhanced payment, Free Bet, risk free bet or Bet Credit element of such offers and/or void any bet funded by the Free Bet or Bet Credits. In addition, where there is evidence of such activity, bet365 may levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the Bet Credits, Free Bet, risk free bet or enhanced payment towards the administrative costs incurred in identifying and taking action against the activity.
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bet365 may reclaim any bonus amount, Free Bets, Bet Credits or enhanced payments that have been awarded in error.
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All customer offers are limited to one per person. If bet365 has reasonable grounds to suspect that the bonus or offer is being claimed by or for the benefit of the same person more than once or by a group of people then it may withdraw the availability of any offer or all offers to that customer or group of customers and/or void any bet funded by the bonus or offer and remove any winnings from such bet.
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bet365 may, at any time, make minor amendments to this promotion to correct typographical errors or to improve on clarity or customer experience and may cancel this promotion for legal or regulatory reasons.
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Employees, officers and directors of bet365, its promotional or other agencies, licensees and licensors, service providers and any other associated or affiliated companies shall not be eligible for the promotion. The same terms shall apply to the direct families of such persons.
Football Exchange – £/€20 Free Bet In Cash
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Can I take part?
- You can only take part in this offer if you are not an existing or a previous Betfair account holder.
- This offer is not available to accounts registered in any of the following countries – Armenia, Portugal, Bulgaria, India, Belarus, Chile, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Tunisia, Ukraine.
How and when can I qualify?
- The first Exchange bet you place within 7 days of registering your new Betfair account can risk up to £20. Your bet must settle in this period too.
What can I win?
- If you place a qualifying bet as set out above, and that bet loses within 7 days of account opening, we will refund your stake in cash, up to a maximum of £20.
When will I get my prize?
- We’ll aim to credit your account within 72 hours of your qualifying bet being settled
What else do I need to know?
- Only deposits made using credit/debits cards and ApplePay will qualify for this promotion.
- Unmatched, unsettled or voided bets will not count towards this promotion.
- In the event that two qualifying bets are placed at the same time, the first bet to settle will be your qualifying bet. In the event that your qualifying bet wins, there will be no credit to your account.
Other essential stuff:
- For Exchange bets, the Exchange rules apply, see here.
Please gamble responsibly www.begambleaware.org
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