On the 16th of April, Casino.org published a piece detailing the opening of offshore betting markets on the Covid-19 pandemic itself. There have been a few interesting markets coming to the fore amidst this pandemic, from E-sports to Ukrainian table tennis, and the unfortunate reality is that they often make way for irresponsible betting, they embody that taboo of gambling.
I am of the view that educated betting does not have to be gambling, in fact, it can be a high returning investment. But this is assuming that the betting is of an educated nature. One’s pillars when betting should be prior knowledge of/authority on the sport, accompanied with research on the teams involved and the various contributing factors (referee, stadium, weather etc.).
The problem with these markets that seem initially humorous, is the converse sadness that they feed a betting problem whereby people are betting either through desperation or in search of an adrenaline rush; the two exact reasons one should avoid placing a bet, as it leads to stress, anxiety and often a chasing of wrong bets and further loss of money.
Casino.org wrote “In one case, the newspaper reported that a site was offering COVID-19 betting on the final digit in the number of new daily cases announced in Southeast Asian nations like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Bettors could also put money down on whether or not the number of reported cases would be higher or lower than the previous day, or if the next reported number would be odd or even.
There is no way punters could ever make a calculated play on bets like this! Where is the form guide for a pandemic that the scientific world can’t even fully comprehend? But also, where is the respect for the disaster that this is?
There is a certain level of respect one would assume in times like these, but with casinos closed it becomes apparent that problematic gambling will still find a way to rear its head. Problematic morally and problematic psychologically, as if you are willing to wager your money on a complete unpredictable, something as far removed from sport as the Coronvirus, you my friend are not an investor (in the way in which I hope all my audience sees themselves), you are a gambling addict.
Sport will return, and the world will slowly start to resemble what we previously conceived as normal, but in the meantime save your money, put it somewhere where it will gain some interest, but Jesus, look anywhere else than the lives taken by the Coronavirus.
