With the Coronavirus bringing the sporting world, and the world in general to a crawl, we figured it would be a good time to touch base with our readers to let you know what to expect in the coming weeks and months in terms of sports and betting.
First, let’s touch on what hasn’t been cancelled (yet).
There has been talk of the Kentucky Derby being postponed until June. That happened once before, in 1945.
The key word here is postponed and not cancelled. Whether they hold the Derby the first week in May, or whether it’s ppd’d until June, either way, the Kentucky Derby prep races are all scheduled to go on as planned, albeit without spectators at the track.
Listed below are the prep races for the Kentucky Derby. Most sports bettors love the ponies, so now might be a good time to dust of those horse racing books collecting dust on your shelves!
5 dimes sportsbook has a great racebook and will be booking all of these races along with every other track across the country where racing continues daily.
| March 14 | Jeff Ruby Steaks (Spiral) | Turfway Park | 1 1/8 Miles (S) | 20 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| March 14 | Rebel | Oaklawn Park | 1 1/16 Miles | 50 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
| March 21 | Louisiana Derby | Fair Grounds | 1 1/8 Miles | 100 | 40 | 20 | 10 |
| March 22 | Sunland Derby | Sunland Park | 1 1/8 Miles | 50 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
| March 28 | UAE Derby | Meydan Racecourse | 1 3/16 Miles | 100 | 40 | 20 | 10 |
| March 28 | Florida Derby | Gulfstream Park | 1 1/8 Miles | 100 | 40 | 20 | 10 |
| April 4 | Wood Memorial | Aqueduct | 1 1/8 Miles | 100 | 40 | 20 | 10 |
| April 4 | Blue Grass | Keeneland | 1 1/8 Miles | 100 | 40 | 20 | 10 |
| April 4 | Santa Anita Derby | Santa Anita | 1 1/8 Miles | 100 | 40 | 20 | 10 |
| Apr 11 | Arkansas Derby | Oaklawn Park | 1 1/8 Miles | 100 | 40 | 20 | 10 |
| Apr 11 | Lexington | Keeneland | 1 1/16 Miles | 20 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
UFC Betting
While some MMA events have in fact been cancelled, it looks as though the UFC will continue without fans. That’s the case as of 3/14/20 as there is a UFC even scheduled to take place tonight in Brazil.
Once again, 5 dimes, mybookie, betonline and GTbets all have lines posted for these events and it’s business as usual.
Political Betting
Some of the biggest scores ever made in betting have been on presidential elections. The election coming up in November 2020 will be one of the most intriguing of all time.
You can expect wild price swings in the odds as events unfold leading up to the election and for that matter, on the day and night of the election as exit polls become available. (think scalps (arbitrage).
5 dimes Sportsbook currently has Trump at even money and the Democratic candidate -120.
E-Sports Betting
E-Sports betting has grown in popularity over the last few years. So much so, that a new crop of professional sports bettors who specialize in these games has emerged.
The Coronavirus will not impact this market at all. All major sportsbooks take action on e-sports.
With that said, there’s no time like the present to learn about this betting opportunity. It’s a market that can be beat, so there’s money to be made.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line here is that the world will move on from the Coronavirus. Which means the sportsbetting world will also move on.
In the meantime, expect the sportsbooks to get creative with their bet offers. Look for added bet offers in the world of entertainment such as TV shows and movies (box office betting).
Expect the NBA and the NHL to hold their playoffs. They may be shortened and delayed, but there looks to be a window for both leagues to finish their seasons.
Expect MLB to eventually begin, and expect the NFL and college football to kick off in September on time as the world returns to normal.
Use this down time to back test new systems. Or, better yet, spend some time with your family and do some things you might not normally do this time of year!
Stay Healthy!