Beat the heat? With sports on hiatus, betting sites have some unusual alternatives
The games have stopped around the globe because of COVID-19 pandemic, leaving sports bettors with vastly reduced option.
Oh sure, you can bet on what team now ex-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady might join or when the Major League Baseball season might start.
But there are also some unusual non-sports bets being offered.
Here are three:
1. The weather
Bovada is now offering odds on the next day’s temperature in cities across the United States. Alas, Kansas City isn’t on the list for Wednesday’s weather, but Bovada communications director Ross Stevens wrote in an email: “With most sporting events canceled/postponed for an indefinite period of time because of the coronavirus, the site is now offering gamblers the ability to bet on the weather, for real.”
For example, someone could wager that the temperature in Houston won’t top 81 degrees on Thursday.
You can see the list of cities here.
2. “Survivor”
There are no sports on television, but you can still wager on who wins on at least one television show.
Sportingsbettingdime.com is giving the edge to Tony Vlachos in “Survivor: Winners at War.” Vlachos apparently was a long shot when the show began.
There undoubtedly would have been some bets placed on “The Bachelor,” which ended recently.
It also seems like “Dancing With The Stars” or one of the singing shows would be a choice for gamblers at some point.
3. Politics
The presidential race has been turned on its ear by the coronavirus with rallies and debates held without a crowd present.
But there are still primaries to be won or lost — for now. Bovada has a set of bets that can be made on the primaries, who will drop out the race and the presidential election in the fall.
Oddshark is also offering odds on political questions.
Bonus
If you and a friend are looking for something to wager on, let’s look to “Seinfeld.” The show has been off the air for a while, but one episode featured an usual betting option: arrival times of planes at an airport.
This site will show the status of any flight coming into any airport. Or most airports show arrival times, too.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 2:25 PM.
