The NFL machine was in warp speed last week, drawing historic ratings for its annual draft of players. With no other games in town the league had full run of the networks and everybody tuned in attentively for a bit of normalcy in their lives. The event was such a success and a relief that the league should do it again this week. But, they won’t. Dammit! Oh well, I guess it’s back to the usual suspects this week without Keyser Soze. Sports sims and esports have dominated the sports betting landscape since the coronavirus outbreak over a month ago. I’m surprised COVID-19 wasn’t drafted by a defense-hungry NFL team since it shuts everything down.
Sports Sims
The good thing about simulated sporting events is that players don’t get tired and you can play games every day. Taking a cue from the NBA 2K20 Playoff Style Tournament, the National Hockey League has gotten in on the action. The NHL Action Cup opens on Monday, a simulated series of games featuring teams in playoff position before the league halted play. BookMaker.eu has the full lineup and betting odds. The NHL is also getting into the esports scene, but I’ll touch on that in another category.
Speaking of the NBA, the playoff tournament is reaching its climax with conference finals sims going on. The Madden NFL20 Conference Showdown is also nearing its end. The games are never over, though. New matchups and tournaments take place all the time. The Boys of Summer are also competing just in case you want to take a break from simulated NBA and NHL playoff tilts. MLB 2K20 is thriving. You can watch the games at Twitch.tv and place your wagers at BookMaker.eu.
Esports
Credit the NBA players-only tournament or maybe NASCAR or F1 for getting the esports ball rolling. Whoever takes credit now knows there is a rabid following for mainstream sports. As mentioned above, pro hockey is taking a shot at esports with the NHL Player Gaming Challenge on NHL20 getting underway on Thursday.
Similar to what we’re seeing with MLB The Show Players League, every NHL team will have a current player or players face every other team once in a round-robin format. The slate of games begins on Thursday and will last four weeks with a playoff following. All featured matchups will be streamed on the NHL’s social platforms.
The world’s most popular sport has all kinds of leagues going on in the virtual world. If soccer is your game of choice, which apparently it is based on the number of fans, online sportsbooks have you covered. It seems like a new esoccer league hits the board every week. Top leagues in Europe and Mexico have been battling for weeks for online supremacy from Liga Pro, Battle Premier League, Battle Champions League and Cyber World Cup to name a few. Odds for these matches and a schedule are posted at BookMaker.eu.
Competitive video gamers from around the world continue their assault on the computer console in games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2 and League of Legends. ESL One: Road to Rio qualifying continues all week. The Challenger League, a minor league to ESL Pro League, continues with games in Rainbow Six Siege. The best teams from the league will get a chance to make it into the ESL Pro League, so there’s plenty at stake in these duels. Visit BookMaker.eu for a schedule and betting odds.
Golf
It’s not the PGA Tour. It’s not even the LPGA Tour. But the all-female Cactus Tour is playing amid the coronavirus pandemic and we’ve been assured that all precautions are being taken. Golf course operations in Arizona have been deemed an essential service and this week’s event takes place at Longbow Golf Course in Mesa.
Sophia Popov is on a heater winning the last two Cactus Tour events and opened as a big favorite at BookMaker.eu. The tournament runs three days beginning on Monday.
Basketball
The best-of-seven championship series in the Chinese Taipei Super Basketball League is now a best-of-three. Favored Taiwan Beer lost the first two games but evened the series with a win on Sunday. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday with Game 6 taking place on Thursday. Check BookMaker.eu for updated odds and to place your wager on the games.
Soccer
Tajikstan, which was one of a few nations that persevered with soccer through the coronavirus, decided to suspend games until further notice. But the Belarusian Premier League continues to forge ahead. There are a number of league games scheduled this week with the semifinals of the Belarus Cup also on tap. The Cup winning club qualifies for the UEFA Europa League. Betting opportunities for all matches can be found at BookMaker.eu.
Futures
With the completion of the NFL Draft over the weekend, sportsbooks have updated odds for futures betting. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of Super Bowl, conference and division favorites and throw down on your favorite team.
