5 Live Events That You Can Legally Bet On This Weekend: 5/22 – 5/24
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We’re almost all the way through May! Sports are starting to return around the world, and sports betting is returning along with them. We’re obviously still a long way off from normalcy, but it’s nice to have live betting action as a pleasant diversion once again.
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1. The Match II: Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady
Where: 888sport, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, FOX Bet, William Hill.
When: Sunday at 3:00 PM EST (TNT).
Fans will get to watch Tom Brady and Peyton Manning play each other once again this Sunday, but this time, they’ll face off on the golf course. Manning teams up with Tiger Woods and Brady with Phil Mickelson in what should make for television.
Woods and Manning are favored across different sportsbooks. That’s probably because Woods is ranked 11th on Tour this year while Mickelson is a lowly 61st. Also, Manning has a lower handicap (6.4) than Brady (8.1). Both quarterbacks will receive three handicap strokes on the front nine, while the back nine will be played with the golfers and quarterbacks taking alternating shots.
I would play the favorite in this one. Both 888sport and DraftKings have Woods/Manning at -186 right now, so I’d lock that in before anything changes.
You can also find a great offer from BetMGM where they will pay out $50 in free bets if users make a $25 bet and Tiger birdies this weekend (about as sure of a thing as there is).
2. NASCAR Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Where: 888sport, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, FOX Bet, William Hill.
When: Sunday at 6:00 PM EST (FOX).
NASCAR’s longest race of the year will run as originally scheduled on Sunday. The sport got back in action last weekend at Darlington, and Kevin Harvick dominated the first race back. The sport ran another race on Wednesday, too, so this will be the third race in just seven days.
In the last two races at Charlotte, Toyota drivers have led the way. Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. have finished first or second in the previous two races, and Kyle led 456 of 800 laps in the two races — a whopping 57%! Unlike in past years, however, Toyota has lost a step. Sure, they posted a one-two finish at Darlington on Wednesday, but they used up more tires than other teams and needed inclement weather to secure the finish.
As you would expect, Kyle Busch is a strong favorite at +550 on DraftKings, but I’m fading him in this one. Instead, consider playing Chase Elliott here. In his last three races here, the Georgia boy has posted finishes of 2nd, 11th, and 4th, leading laps in all but one. He has the best recent driver rating of any non-Toyota driver, too. I would punch him in to win (+900) or to finish top-5 (+125).
3. Bundesliga
Where: 888sport, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, FOX Bet, William Hill.
When: Games run all weekend.
Like NASCAR, Bundesliga returned last weekend. And this week, they’ve got der Klassiker on tap — the classic match between bulwarks Bayern Munchen and Borussia Dortmund. The two squads are first and second in the table, but Dortmund may be without captain Marco Reus.
But der Klassiker isn’t until this Tuesday, and both squads must play during the weekend. Dortmund draws a sixth-place VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday morning — and that’s a game worth targeting given the circumstances.
Dortmund remains an impressive squad even without Reus, but they’ll have to play a lookahead match without such an integral part of their team. That’s enough for me to play the underdog to win (+360) or to tie (+290) at FanDuel.
4. Korean Baseball
Where: 888sport, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, FOX Bet, William Hill.
When: Games run all weekend.
The KBO has been treating baseball fans to live-action play for a few weeks now. Their games run at awkward times for American viewers, but how else are you going to catch professional baseball?
As with every weekend, the KBO will play five three-game series, Friday through Sunday. Although Friday’s games will have already gotten underway by the time this column runs, we can use those numbers to identify strong bets for later in the weekend. The NC Dinos are playing like defensive juggernauts, and they take on the struggling Hanwha Eagles this weekend. The over/under is set at 9.5 runs for Friday’s game, and the juice sits at +100 on the over and -125 for the under at BetMGM. While you should keep an eye on the juice, consider playing the under if it retains the amount of value it’s got now.
5. Darts
Where: 888sport, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, FOX Bet, William Hill.
When: Events run all weekend.
While the Professional Darts Corporation’s (PDC) Home Tour doesn’t run this weekend, the British Modus Icons of Darts does. Darts are a great, consistent way to lay multiple wagers throughout the day, just like table tennis.
The format mirrors that of the NBA Horse challenge a few weeks ago, as players stream their use of regulation setups at home. If you’re interested in darts betting, check out this British darts database for some key data points.
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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.