Brant James

With coronavirus shutting down all major North American leagues and many other popular U.S. sports betting markets, newer markets might fill the void.

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, Turkish basketball and Russian hockey are drawing a bit of sports betting action but can’t make up for the absence of the NBA, MLB and March Madness. And don’t hold your breath waiting for WWE odds either, William Hill US trading director Nick Bogdanovich said.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament is the most lucrative time of the year for sportsbooks. Not only is it a time when casual fans more likely to place a bet, but it’s a chance for sports betting enthusiasts to also try out other types of gaming. That’s all gone now with coronavirus wiping out this year’s March Madness.

Postponements by the NBA, NHL and MLB left millions of dollars in future wagers in limbo on Thursday as league officials and owners scrambled to strike a responsible stance amid the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA’s decision to cancel the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments left a void in the American sporting landscape.

The NFLPA is negotiating for a piece of future NFL betting revenues and that bargaining chip is close to coming to fruition.

The loosening of NFL rules allowing teams to take sports-betting sponsors and open non-betting lounges is another tentative step toward the league embracing sports betting.

BetMGM received approval from Indiana to launch its mobile sports betting app there on Tuesday.

Seton Hall and Rutgers are having strong men's college basketball seasons in 2019-20. But New Jersey sports bettors wishing to wager on their local teams are still out of luck thanks to a state ban on betting on college teams in the state or even college events happening in New Jersey.

DraftKings, the Boston-based daily fantasy and sports betting provider, has added a mobile and online platform in Iowa. It was already established in the state through branded sportsbooks in three Wild Rose casinos last fall.

The first partnership with a major American pro sports league comes as PointsBet expands its U.S. sports betting market presence. PointsBet will integrate a “Win Probability Metric” on NBA games.

If the idea, reported on Tuesday, goes through, there would be seven playoff teams in each league for a total of 14. That would do a number on MLB futures odds, one bookmaker says.