Coronavirus Comedy: Oddsmakers Offering Offbeat Lines on Disease Impact

Posted on: March 19, 2020, 10:03h. 

Last updated on: March 19, 2020, 11:49h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The coronavirus is no laughing matter. But when life gives lemons to online oddsmakers, they make lemonade.

coronavirus odds online sportsbook
Global pandemic from the coronavirus is causing some to stock up on essential supplies, which apparently includes condoms. (Image: Facebook)

Case in point: the Bovada sportsbook has an array of prop bets on how COVID-19 could affect certain online operations. That includes an increase in traffic to pornographic websites, and whether Netflix might be so inundated with streaming viewers that it causes the network to malfunction.

Will PornHub be among the top 30 most-visited sites in the USA before April 1, 2020?” Yes is at +190, and No -290, meaning the book doesn’t believe the explicit website will crack the top 30.

Results are dependent on traffic data from Alexa.com. As of March 19, PornHub ranked No. 37.

“Will there be a global Netflix outage in the next 30 days?” has Yes +2000, No -10000. The No odds implies there’s a 99.01 percent chance that Netflix continues operations as normal.

With couples quarantined around the world, bettors can predict what the stock price of the manufacturer of Trojan condoms will be at the close of trading on March 31. The over/under for the Church & Dwight share price is at $65 (Over-140, Under +100).

More Serious Issues

With the number of global COVID-19 cases now exceeding 218,000 and 8,000 deaths, the coronavirus has grave consequences on nearly every element of human life. The disease is also delivering devastating, and potentially irreversible, damage to businesses.

MGM Resorts, the operator of the most casinos in Las Vegas, where all gaming has been suspended for at least a month, has seen its stock price fall from $32 to $7.14 at the close of trading yesterday. What will the price be at the end of trading on March 31? Under $10 is favored at -320, and over $10 at +210.

Caesars stock has also crashed. The over/under on its stock price is $5, with under favored at -350. As for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the over/under for March 31 is 21,000 points (Under -135, Over -105).

With airlines one of the hardest hit industries, Bovada asks, “Which major airline will announce they are filing for bankruptcy first?” American is the favorite at +175, followed by Delta and United (+250), and Southwest (+500).

Election Canned?

America has been brought to a standstill because of the pandemic. And though the 2020 presidential election is still 228 days away, oddsmakers are asking bettors regarding the possibility of it being postponed.

“Will the US presidential election take place on November 3, 2020?” has Yes -450, No +300. That means oddsmakers are only 81.8 percent confident that the general election will indeed occur on the scheduled date.

The only way a US presidential election can be postponed is with approval of Congress and the President. Even a Presidential executive order, national emergency or disaster declaration, or declaration of martial law would not postpone the election.

No US presidential election has ever been postponed.