Sports you can bet on during the COVID-19 crisis

After unprecedented cancellations of major sporting events earlier this month, more sports leagues from around the globe have suspended or canceled their seasons because of the growing COVID-19 pandemic. 

This week the International Olympic Committee officially announced the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo would be postponed until next year. 

The list of sports and events available for betting has decreased in the past three weeks, but there are still upcoming soccer matches, MMA events, horse racing, and NFL futures markets bettors can wager on.

UFC 249

After it canceled three events because of coronavirus concerns, it appears the UFC is nearing a return next month. 

UFC president Dana White said this week that a venue for UFC 249 on April 18 is “99.9%” done, which would seem like a strong indication that the pay-per-view event will go on as scheduled.

Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson headline the event with their highly anticipated bout. Nurmagomedov is currently the favorited at BetAmerica, at odds of -305 to win.

Horse Racing

Horse racing has continued at tracks in various countries, including in the United States, Australia, England, and Ireland, despite the pandemic. 

While tracks are not open to spectators at this time, a number of races continue as scheduled, with a full calendar of events to wager on with BetAmerica. That included four venues in Australia that had racing scheduled for Tuesday.

BetAmerica also provides a "horse racing pick of the day" as racing continues this week. 

The Dubai World Cup, one of the largest horse racing events of the year, has been canceled. The 2020 Kentucky Derby, the first jewel in the Triple Crown, originally scheduled for May 2, has been delayed to Sept. 5. 

Belarusian Premier League soccer

The Belarusian Premier League has continued, while most professional soccer leagues around the world have suspended play indefinitely.

This weekend’s schedule features eight matches, beginning Friday with Torpedo Zhodino against Belshina, and FC Rukh Brest against Energetik-BGU.

There are four matches scheduled for Saturday, including a derby between Dinamo Minsk and FC Minsk.

Dinamo Minsk is favored with match odds of +100 at BetAmerica.

NFL futures and props

NFL free agency kicked off last week, with some big names on the move. 

Tom Brady, who won six Super Bowl titles for the New England Patriots, decided it was time to move on. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which gave their Super Bowl odds a boost.

The list of NFL futures bets at BetAmerica has been recently been expanded to include teams to win the AFC and NFC championships, each of the six divisions, and offensive rookie of the year. 

The Kansas City Chiefs are favored to win Super Bowl LV, with odds of +550 at BetAmerica. The San Francisco 49ers are favored to win the NFC Championship, with odds of +300. 

Quarterback Joe Burrow, expected to go No. 1 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, is favored to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, with odds of +175. 

Also included are three Tom Brady props, including Over/Unders on passing yards, passing touchdowns, and interceptions. 

NFL win totals are also available. That includes a bet on which team, the Buccaneers or Patriots, will win more games this season. Consider this the start of a New England-Tampa Bay rivalry.

NFL Draft futures

Burrow is the clear favorite to go first overall in the NFL Draft next month. His odds are -5000 at BetAmerica. 

The NFL Draft markets have been expanded to include which player will go No. 2 overall, which player will go No. 3 overall, the first wide receiver drafted, the first running back to get drafted, as well Over/Under props on the total number of quarterbacks selected in the first round. 

Draft bets also include which teams will draft specific players. The Miami Dolphins are favored to select quarterback Justin Herbert, with odds of +125 at BetAmerica. 

NCAA football futures

The college football season is scheduled to begin at the end of August. The national championship market is currently available at BetAmerica, with the Clemson Tigers favored at odds of +200. 

Clemson lost to LSU in the College Football Playoff National Championship in January, but with Trevor Lawrence slated to return at quarterback for his junior year, Clemson gets the nod as the favorite. 

LSU is facing a considerable loss at quarterback, after Burrow's departure to the NFL, but it still has the fifth best odds, at +1500. 

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