Bored Games: Oddsmakers Predict When Major Sports Will Return Following COVID-19

The United States has been dealing with the spread of the coronavirus using self-quarantine and social distancing, but the stoppage of all major sports have many stuck at home with nothing to watch or bet on.

Oddsmakers have been busy, crafting odds that will entertain sports betting fans, and keep them coming back to the best USA sportsbooks throughout the duration of this COVID-19 lockdown. The latest offering of betting odds features betting lines that involve when major sports will return.

Odds provided by Bovada.

Will MLB Regular Season Start On Or Before July 3rd 2020?

Yes EVEN
No -140

Will NBA Resume On Or Before July 3rd 2020?

Yes +110
No -150

Will NHL Resume On Or Before July 1st 2020?

Yes +155
No -220

Will MLS Resume On Or Before May 10th 2020?

Yes +700
No -1600

Based on the odds above, it would seem that July 1 serves as an unofficial over/under date for a return to normalcy in the major sports world. Don’t look now folks, but that is over three months from now. That is a very long time for the United States to be inactive, and the odds indicate that it could last slightly longer than that.

Major League Baseball holds the best current odds to begin on July 3^rd, and perhaps that is due to their 162-game schedule and their desperation to capture lost revenue from the delayed start to the season. All sports would seem to be edging toward a re-start time of mid-July, and it will be interesting to see if MLS follows suit.

If you are betting on the NBA or NHL to return before July 3^rd, the odds are not favorable. However, with President Donald Trump insisting that the country returns to normalcy by Easter as the Los Angeles Times reports, sports could return to action much sooner.

What League Will Play Their Next League Match First?

England Premier League +300
Spain La Liga +450
Italy Serie A +1200
France Ligue 1 +300
German Bundesliga +120

Many of our top-rated offshore sportsbooks are offering odds on European professional sports leagues starting at some point in May. The odds are poor for this to happen. When using conversion calculations, the most favorable odds to begin in May belongs to Brasileiro Serie A with a 25% chance of occurring.

Still, fans are hungry for action, and areas with limited numbers of COVID-19 infections will begin to grow impatient with what they perceive to be extreme quarantine measures. Economies will begin to buckle, and citizens from all walks of life will be tempted to resume normal operations.

That’s the beauty of these betting lines and odds that are placed on such a massive, global occurrence. Literally all aspects of life can be included in the betting strategy. If you’ve got a hunch on one of these start dates, then the time to exploit the oddsmakers is now. A wager of $100 on MLS resuming on or before May 10^th will earn a payout of $700.