The CoronaVirus – What Sports League Will Be First To Play A Regular Season Or Playoff Game?

With the NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS seasons suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, there aren’t many sports to bet on this weekend or in the upcoming weeks.

We only need an excuse to gamble because we love it, and it’s fun. I’m sure I don’t have to convince you. 

Bovada found that excuse. 

Oddsmakers at Bovada Sportsbook have listed odds to see which professional sports league will return to action first. The decision is tricky because we are in a unique situation, but it’s also intriguing.

Let’s see look at the betting odds of what league will play first:

What League Will Be First To Play?

Sports League	Odds
NBA	+200
MLB	+200
NHL	+210
MLS	+375
Bet On The League To Play First At

Let’s try to explain the situation of each league to make the best bet.

NBA +200

The league expects to resume the competition in about 3-4 weeks. The last regular-season game was scheduled for April 15th. Right now, it seems impossible for the NBA to rush to play those games.

The NBA could decide to skip the remaining regular season and resume with the playoffs. The Orlando Magic have a 5.5-game lead over the Washington Wizards for the last spot in the East. The Memphis Grizzlies have a 3.5 game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers in the West.

If the league decides to restart with the NBA Playoffs, then it will be on April 18th, 2020. 

Of course, there will be teams opposed to it. For example, teams in the playoff bubble, such as the Wizards and Blazers would miss the postseason.

The NBA at +200 is a good bet because the league is the most proactive of the four listed by Bovada. 

Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA don’t follow the crowd. They are usually the one league leading the way. While others wait, they act.

NHL +210

The NHL is in a similar boat as the NBA. The league played most of the regular season, and the NHL Playoffs are just a few weeks away. The expectation is to wait between three to four weeks. However, they want to resume with the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The problem is there is no date when the NHL Playoffs will begin. It’s usually a few days after the conclusion of the regular season, but there is no specific date.

Betting on the NHL at +200 makes some sense because the league can play around with the dates of the postseason. Teams that are not in postseason spots won’t have enough games to catch up. So if things get cleared, they could schedule the playoffs earlier than expected.

It’s only natural to resume with the playoffs’ matchups, even if it means playing without fans the first few rounds.

MLB +200

The Major League Baseball season is supposed to start on Thursday, March 26th, 2020. That’s out the window now.

Following a call with the 30 Clubs, and after consultation with the Major League Baseball Players Association, Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. today announced that MLB has decided to suspend Spring Training games and to delay the start of the 2020 regular season by at least two weeks due to the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic.

Said the league in a statement.

That means the earliest the season would start would be on April 9th, 2020. By all accounts, it’s the closest date to resuming regular activities that any of the leagues have given us. 

Teams are expecting to resume spring training on April 2nd, so bettors can resume betting on exhibition baseball in less than a month if all goes to plan.

MLS +375

The most significant is on Major League Soccer at +375. The MLS suspended operations for 30 days. 

If we do the math, the 30 days would be up on March 10th, but the league doesn’t play games on Fridays. The 11th and 12th of April, which is a Saturday and Sunday, are the more realistic dates.

The MLS doesn’t have any pressure to resume action. The season started just days ago, nothing relevant is on the table other than the early stage of the regular season. If they want to postpone more games just for the well-being of their players and fans, nothing will stop them.

The League You Should Bet On To Start Playing First

By looking at the dates and the expectation of each league, the MLB at +200 is my favorite pick here. Unlike the NBA and NHL, whose backs are against the wall, the MLB is aiming to get back into action faster than the other two.