Dinosaurs became extinct from coronavirus: bookmakers take strange bets on a pandemic

Among many businesses and industries affected by the coronavirus epidemic are betting shops. With the cancellation of matches in the largest sports leagues and the transfer of the main sporting events of the planet, many of them simply have nothing to attract customers. Bookmakers are trying to do exotic things like Tajik sports, and the most cheerful ones offer to bet on the epidemic itself. Writes about this with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

Do you want to bet that the property of US President Donald Trump will be converted into a hospital? You are welcome! Are you sure that the coronavirus is to blame for the death of dinosaurs? They will bet on this. Do you want to bet that by the end of this year a computer game about COVID-2019 will be released? No problem, make bets.

Although generally sad times. Matches in the most spectacular sports and the largest sports leagues of the whole world were almost instantly stopped.

“We have temporarily suspended accepting bets. Almost all sporting events for the next few months have now been canceled or postponed. As soon as the situation stabilizes, we will return to work,” the bookmaker website 888.ru informs its clients.

The little sports calendar still graces BetCity's screen. True, the entire grid for the coming days is filled with matches of the already meme-worthy Belarusian football championship - it has not yet been stopped. Those interested can bet on the outcome of the game between FC Gorodeya and Shakhtar S on the evening of March 28, or between Smolevichi and Isloch on the afternoon of March 29.

On the subject: The cancellation of festivals, quarantined stars and the first death: how the coronavirus paralyzed the world of show business

Belarusian football is not the most exotic thing yet. “In Tajikistan, it seems, nothing has been banned yet, but Tajik events, sports meetings, are popular now,” says Roman, an analyst at one of the Russian bookmaker networks. In terms of the number of bets made, activity has decreased by at least half, he states.

There are hardly many people who wish to make such bets, and it is clear that dark days have come for bookmakers living in global sports.

“This is a big threat. Everything has come to a standstill, bookmakers are writing to us asking us to suspend payments and contracts,” says Paruyr Shahbazyan, founder of Bookmaker Rating.

The situation is harder than others - for those who upfront, they paid for broadcasting contracts and sports statistics packages a year in advance, which analysts work with when calculating sports bets. But you still have to pay the imputed tax on the activities of bookmakers, which is 3 million rubles a month.

“It would be possible to get out if we allowed casino games, such as poker, where sports are not needed. But they are prohibited. There is nothing left to do but sit and wait,” states Shahbazyan.

In an attempt to distract regular customers from sadness and attract new ones, bookmakers are organizing “lines” (groups of bets) dedicated to the coronavirus itself. On the Betcity website, the probability that the World Health Organization (WHO) will declare the end of the pandemic by July is estimated to be low - the odds are 4 to 1,2. That is, if the pandemic is defeated by July, you can win four rubles and kopecks for the bet. But bookmakers are almost sure that a vaccine against the virus will be created before December 31, 2020 - bets are accepted at the rate of 1,25 to 3,6.

A rich line of “coronavirus” bets is available in the Russian branch of the Parimatch office. “We look at the information agenda and add new rates every day,” says company representative Alexey Babichev. But neither he nor the other bookmakers surveyed accept bets on the most terrible question (about the number of victims of the pandemic). They say it's beyond ethical.

On the subject: How collective immunity works and whether it will help tame the coronavirus

“With the picture we see, a lot of things are presented in a negative way. We believe in focusing on the positive and try to make betting options positive. We don’t play on people’s feelings, we don’t predict how many people will be involved in events from a medical point of view,” says Babichev.

In the line of “coronavirus” forecasts “Parimatch” there are many bets on when this or that sports league will return to normal life or an important event will take place. Will, for example, the New York City Marathon take place in November? (rates 3 to 1,32). Will the Cannes Film Festival go ahead as scheduled in June? (rates 3 to 1,35). Will Connor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov fight on PlayStation in April? (the forecast is almost hopeless - 9 to 1,04). The same analysts who analyzed sports statistics before the pandemic are working on calculating odds.

There are also exotic bets proposed by the audience on social networks. So, you can bet that one of the Trump Tower skyscrapers will be completely converted into a clinic (bookmakers almost don’t believe in this - the current odds are 14 to 1,01). You can estimate the probability of this option: “A computer game dedicated to the fight against COVID-19 will be released before the end of 2020,” bets 1,50 to 2,50.

“Bookmakers make bets like this all the time, but no one really bets on it. This is done so that journalists are interested. This is a PR tool,” emphasizes Paruyr Shahbazyan, founder of Bookmaker Rating. Betting industry figures don't argue. Parimatch admits that “viral” bets account for less than 5% of normal bet volumes.

“The lines related to coronavirus are largely a marketing story; they will be replicated thanks to mentions on social networks and posts. And players are now being driven into other areas - e-sports or online casinos. In large offices, the players are divided 50/50: half on betting (betting), half on gambling (gambling),” says analyst Roman, who wished to remain anonymous. How they manage to do this under Russian gambling bans is a topic for a separate article.

On the subject: Scientists called unexpected symptoms of the latent form of coronavirus

It’s ridiculous to suggest that even experienced betting analysts can shed light on the main issues surrounding the epidemic. You can bet on the possibility of introducing quarantine in Moscow or price hikes for buckwheat, but what comes next - bookmakers do not undertake to predict.

You can bet that “coronavirus” will become the word of the year in the Oxford or Cambridge dictionaries. And even the fact that this year Elon Musk will personally invent a vaccine against the virus (200 to 1 chances). In terms of incredibleness, this event is only slightly inferior to what is described in the Parimatch betting layout as follows: “In 2020, in connection with recent events, the existence of God will be scientifically proven” (250 to 1).

Read also on ForumDaily:

The cancellation of festivals, quarantined stars and the first death: how the coronavirus paralyzed the world of show business

CDC and Microsoft create a chatbot to help test themselves on COVID-19

'Siberian' dumplings and alcohol: how the Russian store in New Jersey lives during quarantine

Mild course of COVID-19 and complications: when to see a doctor

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.