Good question. When you consider that online sports betting is still a relatively new concept in legal wagering and only available in a few states in the US, you have to wonder what would make it work. Sure, for sports fans who are already involved in various forms of gambling from office pools to casinos and lotteries, being able to place bets online is a huge convenience.
COVID-19 didn’t hurt it much, either. If you could ever say that something good came out of the pandemic that forced the closures of casinos across the country, online sports betting would have to be what many turned to as they dealt with self-isolation and other pandemic restrictions.
Let’s Look At That A Little Closer
The state of Illinois is a fine example of where the timing could not have been better for online sportsbooks. The state legalized online sports betting in June 2019 but the first legal brick-and-mortar sportsbook wasn’t launched until March 2020. The first legal mobile sportsbook was opened in June 2020.
The first known positive test results for COVID-19 in Illinois were confirmed on January 24, 2020, when a woman from Chicago had returned home from Wuhan, Hubei, China – the pandemics place of origin. She was the second confirmed case in the United States and as the numbers started to climb in the state, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation in mid-March to respond to the situation.
This equivalent to a state of emergency was quickly followed by closures of schools, restaurants, bars, diners, and any other location that could support the gathering of large crowds. This included casinos. The order was to end on April 7 but has been extended several times.
The closures impacted sporting events at all levels ranging from Major League Baseball canceling training camp and eventually the entire 2020-21 baseball season. The National Basketball Association suspended their 2019-20 season, restarted it with restrictions, and eventually completed it 12 months after it had started.
The National Hockey League suspended their 2020-21 season indefinitely, the WNBA delayed the start of their season indefinitely and Major League Soccer suspended their season for a month. All of these sporting event changes impacted sportsbooks and since large gatherings were no longer allowed as part of reducing the spread of COVID-19, people stayed home.
What Will This Do For 2021?
It is safe to say that the pandemic is not going to suddenly disappear. It will be with us for quite some time until vaccines are mass-produced and administered. Timelines for that happening fluctuate but let’s assume it won’t be for at least another year. What will sporting activities look like in the next year?
That’s a good question. We can probably put together a reasonably logical answer to that by looking at each sport and how their seasons are designed. The pandemic closures did not affect each major league quite the same. For example, both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) only had to complete their regular-season schedules and enter into a modified playoff format.
Major League Baseball (MLB), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and Major League Soccer (MLS) just shortened their seasons. Sure, that worked for this year but these leagues depend on massive revenue streams from fans and television contracts. Shorter seasons or modified seasons cut into that cash-flow in such a way that teams and leagues can feel the pinch. Pandemic or not.
The NFL started their 2020-21 Season as per normal in September. Pre-season games were canceled because of COVID-19 and international games were suspended and those games being played are taking place with what the league calls “a greatly reduced audience” or no fans with artificial crowd noise used instead.
The NBA 2020-21 Season has had a delayed start where the first regular-season games won’t be played until December or January 2021, three months later than usual. MLB is still finishing their 2020 season which will run until late October. It had originally been postponed indefinitely in March 2020. The NHL has delayed the start of its 2020-21 Season from October 2020 to January 2021.
The league plans to hold a complete 82-game season with limited attendance at each arena. The MLS 2020 season experienced a lengthy suspension due to the pandemic and would have ended in October 2020 but will now go until December. And the WNBA 2020 season just ended in October following an indefinite postponement of the season due to COVID-19. A shortened 22-game season was launched in June with play resuming without fans present.
In Conclusion
Well, even if leagues continue into 2021 with modified schedules where stands are either empty or mostly empty, fans can still enjoy watching their favorite games on television. Coverage should still be as good as it ever was in that regard. It also means that for fans who are staying home watching their team play in front of empty seats, they can still participate through online sports betting.
Sportsbooks just have to ensure that they are offering boards with betting lines that are attractive to online bettors. Most sportsbooks are addressing the situation already by providing lines on more than just major league sports and the suspensions that were the result of COVID introduced some bettors to sports they may not have considered wagering on before.
COVID forced leagues to postpone or suspend games, alter their regular season and change the way they host home games. You could say that the pandemic made some positive changes to the world of sports which in turn enhanced the sports betting industry.
How long these effects will play into the operations of major league sporting events is still unknown. This could make 2021 a very interesting and exciting year for sports and online sports betting. With more states in the US legalizing it in 2021, more players will have access as well. And since you can place your bets from the comfort of your home, why would you even risk going to the game these days, anyway?
