Daily Sports Betting Preview 4/21/2020: Table Tennis, E-Supercars, NFL Draft

• The Russian Table Tennis Pro League features more than 30 matches, with live betting available on many major sportsbooks.
• Supercars take to the internet as Scott McLaughlin boasts +200 odds in a crowded field in E-Supercar racing.
• The NFL Draft is fast approaching and bettors can place bets on any of their favorite team’s picks.

MOSCOW, Russia - The Daily Sports Betting Preview covers some familiar ground, as well as some unfamiliar ground in today’s edition.

First, the Preview checks in with the Russian Table Tennis Pro League, a common topic of discussion in a post-COVID-19 world. Then, the Preview examines some supercar races - but simulated. That’s right, there’s E-Supercar racing available to bet on.

Finally, the Preview checks out one of the available bets on the NFL Draft - which teams will take offensive or defensive players. A great bet for NFL fans who think they know how their team will draft this year.

Russian Table Tennis Pro League Betting

The Russian Table Tennis Pro League is a common topic of discussion on this page and in this column specifically.

In the month since the COVID-19 pandemic caused the shutdown of many major sports leagues in the US and around the world, the Table Tennis betting has provided one incredibly useful service for bettors across the world.

In a word, it has provided volume. Sports betting is a skill-based endeavor, but it is also a luck-based endeavor. The more bets a bettor makes, the less luck matters in the aggregate, and the more skill can shine through.

There are over 30 matches on the docket today in the Pro League - which is well beyond the ability of this column to cover and well beyond what the readers would desire. So, the coverage will highlight a couple things to know about the Pro League overall.

First, it runs all day today. The last match of the day in the Pro League starts at 5:30 p.m. EST, well into the evening.

Second, table tennis, like tennis, is a sport that benefits from live betting. So this is the kind of event a bettor could plug themselves into for a day.

Finally, the Table Tennis Pro League is one of the more elite competitions out there that is still running, and the only one providing an experience like this.

E-Supercar Racing Betting

Racing has evolved with the times during the COVID-19 pandemic as well. NASCAR has moved to an online racing simulator and other racing leagues are following suit.

It should come as no surprise that there is simulated supercar racing making the rounds as well now. Today there is only one race on many major online sportsbooks, but it is an absolute doozy of a race.

Here are the odds:

A total of 25 competitors enter the virtual arena, and only one man can walk away with the trophy. The favorite to do that is Scott McLaughlin, who has +200 odds in a field of 25 people. This is impressive.

McLaughlin is closely followed by Anton De Pascuale, who clocks in with +275 odds and Shane Van Gisbergen, slightly behind with +400 odds.

On the other end, Chris Pither brings up the rear with +15000 odds, while Alex Davison and Mark Winterbottom are also in highly unlikely territory with +12500 odds and +10000 odds respectively.

Overall, this is an interesting experiment, and virtual sports bettors should be encouraged at the mainstreaming of their pastime.

NFL Draft - Offense Or Defense Betting

The NFL Draft is coming up soon - it starts on Thursday, April 23, 2020 - and that means that NFL Draft betting is ramping up into high gear.

There are an astounding amount of betting odds for the NFL Draft, on things from specific draft orders to which offensive player will be the first or second off the board.

Bettors can even bet on broadcast shenanigans like whether or not there will be a cat seen on the broadcast.

However, one interesting way to get involved in NFL Draft 2020 betting is simply picking whether a team will pick an offensive player or a defensive one.

This is a good way to get involved because it mostly means evaluating the needs of one or more teams, and many NFL fans are in a good position to do that.

Here are some examples of the kind of odds that are available:

The Los Angeles Chargers are heavily favored to pick an offensive player, which makes a ton of sense. Quarterback Phillip Rivers is no longer on the team, and the Chargers are said to be focusing on finding his replacement in the draft. Quarterbacks are offensive players, hence the odds favoring them so much.

The Miami Dolphins are in a very similar situation. The Dolphins are in the process of trying to rebuild and are targeting quarterbacks specifically. They have been linked with both Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert.

Nobody is quite sure what the New England Patriots will look like, but everyone knows that with Tom Brady gone it’s a new era in New England. The odds here are pretty close - the Patriots are in a position where they are likely to simply draft the best player available and there are a lot of variables that can change that will determine who that player is.

Overall, these are interesting betting opportunities, and a good way for novice NFL draft bettors to get involved in the betting community.