What sports are left to bet on?

With so much of the sporting on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, gamblers everywhere are at a loss. What is there left to bet on? Are there even any sports still going?

Just about every major sporting competition on the planet has been either suspended or cancelled. That includes: the NBA, NHL and PGA Tour in the United States; the EPL and Super League in the United Kingdom; the AFL, NRL and A-League in Australia; the ATP and WTA tennis tours; the vast majority of football leagues in Europe and the Americas; and many of the world’s leading markets for horse racing, greyhounds and trots.

While the situation has cost online bookmakers a huge portion of their regular business, there is still plenty to have a punt if you know where to look.

Esports betting

It might surprise some to learn that esports have been hit almost as hard as their traditional counterparts. East Asia is the beating heart of the professional video gaming industry, so the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan has had a huge impact on the top leagues in China, Korea and beyond.

However, electronic sports have one big advantage that live-action games do not: you can play them online. Top-tier League of Legends (LoL) competitions in Asia and Europe are already back up and running, as are some high-profile tournaments for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Dota 2, StarCraft II and more.

Here are but a few of the top leagues and tournaments you can bet on at esports betting sites right now:

League of Legends
– LoL Champions Korea (LCK)
– LoL Pro League (LPL)
– LoL European Championship (LEC)
– Oceanic Pro League (OPL)
– Vietnam Championship Series (VCS)

Dota 2
– China Dota2 Pro League (CPL)
– GG.Bet Championship
– Parimatch League
– Asia Challenger League
– Red Star Cup

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
– ESL Pro League
– FLASHPOINT
– SECTOR: MOSTBET
– LPL Pro League
– ESL Meisterschaft

Horse racing & greyhounds

While the situation is changing day by day, several national, state and regional racing bodies are still operating behind closed doors.

Australia
The Australian racing industry is working hard to stay active during this difficult period. At the time of writing, you can still bet on thoroughbred, greyhounds and harness races in major markets such as Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Hong Kong
Despite its relative proximity to the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, the Hong Kong racing industry is plowing on. The Happy Valley and Sha Tin racecourses continue to hold full cards on a regular basis.

Ireland
The United Kingdom has suspended all horse and dog racing, but Irish authorities have allowed both pursuits to progress behind closed doors for the time being. Naas and Clonmel will both stage thoroughbred meets this week.

Japan
As per Hong Kong, the COVID-19 crisis has not stopped the Japanese racing industry. The courses at Urawa, Kanazawa, Sonoda and Kochi all held race meetings on Monday.

South Africa
When you can find nothing else to bet on, there is always a random race somewhere in South Africa. The African continent remains relatively unaffected by COVID-19, so the Rainbow Nation will continue to offer horse racing for the foreseeable future.

United States
While some major races have bitten the dust, there is still plenty going in the US horse racing industry. Florida is carrying the torch with Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs open for business, while Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma and Fonner Park in Nebraska are also operational.

Soccer betting

EPL, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, MLS, A-League… those make up but a small fraction of the many hundreds of professional football leagues that are now on hiatus. If you look far enough afield, however, you can still find a few places where the Beautiful Game is kicking on.

Belarus
The rest of Europe is on lockdown, but nobody told these guys. Top soccer betting sites have a full range of markets for upcoming Belarusian Premier League matches.

Myanmar
Once again, we see that a crisis in China does not necessarily mean the end of the world for the rest of Asia. Bookies are taking bets on both the Myanmar National League and the country’s under-19s competition.

Club friendlies
With their domestic leagues suspended, several clubs in Russia and Scandinavia have organised friendly fixtures to pass the time.

Table tennis betting

With the professional tennis tours out of action, now is ping pong’s time to shine. Leading online sportsbooks have betting markets available for several table tennis tournaments, including the Setka Cup, TT-Cup Ukraine and Czech TT Star Series.

Novelty bets

With a huge hole in the sport and racing schedules to fill, we can expect online bookmakers to pull out some interesting novelty markets over the coming weeks and months. Bookies have long taken bets on politics and entertainment, but some are now starting to post odds for things like weather forecasts. If you are looking for something a little different, check out the novelties.