Recent global conditions have necessitated the postponement or outright cancellation of a wide variety of major sporting events, with some even being held spectator-free behind closed doors. Luckily if you enjoy betting on such events, there are still options open to you while the world attempts to deal with a viral threat.
The Manchester City vs Arsenal Premier League game is one of the most recent casualties of the slew of match cancellations. Several Arsenal players are said to have met the owner of Greek club Olympiakos, who is a confirmed Coronavirus infection case. The virus’ effect has spread, affecting the ability of entire leagues to stage matches, with the fate of the UEFA EURO 2020 and the Olympic Games in Tokyo hanging in the balance and by a thread.
The show must go on
Amongst the rash of cancellations and postponements, there are still sporting events for you to place your bets on. The Champions League and Europa League are currently holding mostly closed-door matches, this is an obvious disappointment for fans who won’t get to watch their favourite players, but leaves an avenue wide open for you to place some wagers.
How will football fare?
You still can test your luck and bet on major European games through sites like bet365 sportbook. This is encouraging news as the major football leagues have an exciting combined line-up for the season ahead.
Champions League and Europa League: will hold some games behind closed doors like PSG vs Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich vs.
Premier League: The English top league had up until recently remained unaffected by the pandemic. Now the Manchester City vs Arsenal game has been postponed. No other postponements or cancellations for the weekend have been announced, with little to indicate whether the situation will worsen or improve soon.
La Liga and Ligue 1: Top two division games in Spain will be played behind closed doors at for at least the next two weeks. France some has restrictions in place until mid-April, but you can still bet to your heart’s content on all games.
The Bundesliga: This is a bit of a mixed bag with some games being played in front of spectators as normal and others being played behind closed doors.
Italy: Italy is arguably one of the countries that have been worst-hit by the virus and all sports events have been cancelled until the 3rd of April. This naturally includes all Serie A games.
Smaller championships are finding themselves in similar positions to their larger counterparts. Japan’s top league is suspended until at least the 3rd of April and Poland will be holding games behind closed doors for the foreseeable future.
Whether the Euro2020 playoff games will be played behind closed doors is still up for debate as the tournament has remained unaffected to date.
Asian qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup are suspended until further notice.
Major sports events that are still happening
The start of a new Formula 1 season is a highlight for fans of the sport. The season will commence, as planned this weekend in Australia. The Chinese Grand Prix is the only postponement for the season thus far, with the second race in Bahrain being run without spectators. Other major sports calendar events like Wimbledon or the Tour de France are still safe for now, but events scheduled like Giro d’Italia are unlikely to take place as Italy are among the worst afflicted by the pandemic.
Will MotoGP continue?
The first race of the MotoGP season, due to take place in Qatar has been cancelled and Thailand’s chance to hold the 2nd race has been postponed to October. The third race which was due to take place in Austin, US had been bumped up to season-opener status and was set to take place on the 5th of April, but a state of emergency declared for the city has thrown this possibility out. The result is that the MotoGP season will likely only start in Argentina on the 19th of April. This information is subject to change as the impact of the virus’ spread creates an ever-changing situation. Other racing events like World Rally Championship and NASCAR are still due to take place as scheduled, so there is still some fast-paced action for you to wager on.
Mostly business as usual for American sports
The US has not seen many confirmed cases or alarming infection rate as yet, so major American leagues, like the NHL and the MLB, are maintaining their current schedules without cancellations or postponements. There are currently no plans to exclude spectators from these sporting events but locker room access has been strictly limited to players and staff only, with the media being left out in the cold. The NBA, by contrast, has opted to suspend their entire season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the virus.
Mixed fortunes
Rugby fans have taken an unpleasant hit with the postponement of several highly-anticipated games. The Six Nations game of Ireland vs Italy or France vs Ireland have fallen to the postponement hammer. Horseracing events seem to all still on track, the Cheltenham Festival had a normal start with some special safety measures being implemented.
The best advice you could take right now would be to stay inside as much as possible and enjoy your sports and wagering from the comfort and safety of your couch.
Of course, you can also indulge in pokies and improve your winning strategy.
