Sportsbooks Optimistic Major Sports Leagues Finish Seasons Amid Pandemic

• The NBA is a -1600 favorite to finish the 2020 season with a declared winner.
• The NHL not declaring a winner this season comes with +800 odds.
• The MLB is listed at -450 odds to hold the World Series in 2020.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The four major sports leagues in North America are set to all return to sports betting menus and screens simultaneously for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic.

The MLB and NBA have already returned to play with baseball already a handful of games into their season while the NBA regular season restart gets underway tomorrow evening.

The NHL also resumes this weekend going straight into the playoffs in a new 24-team format while the NFL plans to host regular season games as planned with no fans in attendance.

The return of sports during the pandemic is refreshing but there is still a cloud of uncertainty looming over the seasons of the four major sports leagues. The looming possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak that could result in a lengthy postponement could derail a professional sports leagues season.

That uncertainty could also bring sports bettors some intriguing betting options with big returns in play. Online sportsbooks have posted odds on each of the NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL seasons being completed. Each league has its own unique way of handling the pandemic and these factors could be the difference in winning or losing on these prop bets.

NBA

The NBA has shown all other professional sports leagues how to adapt to the challenges that the coronavirus pandemic has presented.

The NBA setting up a bubble in Orlando to finish their regular season has been a success so far as no players have tested positive.

Sources: Zero NBA players have tested positive for coronavirus out of 344 tested at Orlando campus since last results were announced July 20.

Consecutive testing rounds where no new player has tested positive.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 29, 2020

While many leagues have struggled to find a way to remain in play the NBA hasn’t. The bubble essentially ensures that the NBA season will be completed and a champion will be crowned.

The +700 odds for this prop should be avoided simply because the NBA protocols will quickly isolate any player that could test positive for COVID-19. The NBA bubble only allows players to leave for under certain circumstances and upon returning that player must also quarantine.

Unlike other sports leagues, the NBA might not even have to cancel a game since no player will test positive for the virus inside of the bubble. These steps the league has taken are exactly why the NBA will finish its season with a declared winner while also showing that Adam Silver is one of the best commissioners in all of sports.

MLB

The MLB doesn’t have a bubble in place to ensure player safety and the Miami Marlins COVID-19 outbreak remains the biggest stain on the young MLB season.

Despite the rocky start, the MLB season should end with the World Series as planned in 2020. However, this won’t come without more positive tests and possibly game postponements if the MLB doesn’t work to figure out a way to keep players safe.

Baseball isn’t a contact sport which is an advantage the MLB has over other leagues. The -450 odds on the World Series happening this year should be taken with confidence by sports bettors.

Major League Baseball simply has too much revenue at stake to not finish the season. The +275 odds are worth the dice roll though, as if another COVID-19 outbreak impacts multiple teams, the MLB could be forced to shut the season down.

The MLB conducts coronavirus tests daily it seems so bettors should take the -450 odds on the Fall Classic happening this year.

NHL

The NHL has set up bubble cities in Toronto and Edmonton to complete their season with a 24-team playoff after the league decided to forgo finishing the final games of the regular season.

The fact that the NHL set up bubble cities to complete the season almost guarantees that there will be a declared winner this season.

The NHL season is a lock to finish since the playoff format will continue to knock teams out making it even easier to monitor the players remaining in the bubble.

The -2500 odds on the “Yes” option will make bettors consider taking the +800 odds on “No” but it's not worth the risk. Take the -2500 odds because the NHL & NBA has proven that the bubble works.

NFL

The NFL has had the most time of any major sports league listed to adapt its season during the coronavirus pandemic. While they are still optimistic that they’ll be able to play a full season the reality of the situation is that with no bubble in place and football being a contact sport the chances of playing a full 16-game season are low.

The NFL will likely be forced to shorten its season if it wants to have one and bettors should take advantage of the +130 odds before the NFL shows signs that it's going to make some changes to its season.

Much like the MLB, the NFL players will be on smaller teams but again with no bubble there is no way to guarantee that the season can be completed without cutting games. The NFL has already cut out preseason games and more changes could be on the horizon if the United States doesn’t start to see anymore new cases of COVID-19.

Football is already a dangerous sport as it is and with players starting to opt out of this season the NFL playing 16 games seems more and more unlikely. Take the +130 odds on the NFL to shorten its season by 2-4 games in the name of player safety.