5 Live Events That You Can Legally Bet On This Weekend: 4/3 – 4/5

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With most sports canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be struggling to find something to wager on from your couch. But there still are plenty of things to put money on — you just have to know where to look!

Starting today, we’ll be running through your options each weekend here at BettingPros. Let’s begin!

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1. The NBA 2K Player’s Tournament

Where: BetMGM.
When: The tournament starts on Friday, April 3rd. Brackets lock on Sunday, April 5th.

If you told me two months ago we’d be watching NBA stars play 2K on ESPN, I wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are. Kudos to NBA stars Andre Drummond, Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Devin Booker, and DeMarcus Cousins, among others, for helping put this event on. It’ll be nice to have basketball back on in the background — even if it’s just a video game.

While most sportsbooks don’t have traditional betting lines on the tournament (yet), BetMGM has set up a March Madness-style tournament that’s free-to-play — with $20,000 in prizes! Just create an account over at their New Jersey site and make your bets. For more information, check out our promotional article about it here.

2. Belarusian Soccer

Where: BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, 888sport.
When: Games run all weekend long.

Belarus — the Gem of Eastern Europe. Sports continue as usual in the ex-Soviet nation as president Alexander Lukashenko encourages his citizens to drink vodka to keep the disease away.

“I don’t understand. There is no virus here,” he said in an interview last weekend. While fans get screened for fevers before soccer games, they’re still allowed to attend — and you’re still allowed to bet on them.

This weekend brings us an exciting slate of games. The top two teams, FC Minsk and Energetik BGU, will play each other on Sunday in what should be a close match. It’s a home game for Energetik BGU, although both teams play in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

3. eSports

Where: 888sport.
When: Matches run all weekend long.

I’d look for other sportsbooks to increase their offerings on eSports as the COVID-19 pandemic plays out. As for now, though, 888sport is your best option for eSports betting.

This weekend, they have offerings on CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Starcraft matches. If that’s your cup of tea, consider placing a wager or two to demonstrate your interest — and to win some money.

At the very least, eSports leagues have some interesting team names. In the Overwatch League (OWL), for instance, we’ve got a matchup between the Washington Justice and the Toronto Defiant. Both squads have 2-4 records, so it should be a close match on Saturday.

4. Chess

Where: 888sport.
When: Matches on Saturday and Sunday

And if you prefer traditional tabletop games to modern eSports, 888sport has some options for you as well. The website has three postings for some chess matches this weekend as part of the Banter Blitz Cup quarterfinals.

In one match, Ray Robson will take on Sanan Sjugirov, and both are similarly rated players. Yet Sanan (-154) is a close favorite over Robson (+110), so Robson’s line carries some value.

The other match this weekend should be a blowout, however, as Alizera Firouzja (-1000) is a heavy favorite over Georg Meier (+475) — and the skill rankings support those numbers.

5. Belarusian Hockey

Where: DraftKings, 888sport.
When: Friday, 12:00 PM

On Friday, Yunost Minsk will take on Shakhter Soligorsk in what could be the final game of the year. It’s Game 5 of their 2019-20 championship, and first seed Yunost Minsk holds a 3-1 lead over third seed Soligorsk.

Yunost Minsk (-375) is a heavy moneyline favorite over Soligorsk (+260), but Soligorsk scored their only win of the series on Yunost Minsk’s home ice. We’ll have to see if the regular-season champion can close the deal on Friday afternoon.

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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.