Big Wins for Books With UFC 250, Next Up a Big Belmont Stakes

Alex Caceres (also known as "Bruce Leroy") faced Chase Hooper on June 6, 2020 at UFC 250 and won that bout via unanimous decision.  That turned out to be a big win for our friends at BetOnline.

Another liability would have been Felicia Spencer with 64% of the public backing her in the main event.  Amanda Nunes won.

House needs Bruce Leroy big

— Dave Mason (@DaveMasonBOL) June 7, 2020

Dave Mason of BetOnline confirmed ahead of Saturday night's UFC 250 card this would be one of the top ten fights bet on at his book.

The fight comes at a time when sports remain mostly non-existent but are starting to make a comeback due to the global pandemic.

Germany's Bundesliga league began play without fans a few weeks ago and will be joined by Spain's Prima Liga and Italy's Serie A in the coming days.  In two weeks, one of the most anticipated horse races will be held, the Belmont Stakes.

This will be the first time the Belmont Stakes will kick off the Triple Crown.  The Kentucky Derby has been pushed back to Labor Day Weekend as the second race, followed by the Preakness Stakes.

Michael Dempsey of TurfNSport.com tells Gambling911.com, this year's Belmont Stakes should prove especially lucrative to the books.

"I think the betting handle will be strong since there are no other sports to wager on," Dempsey says. "The TV ratings should be really good too with nothing much else on TV. It wont be Derby like numbers, but the handle could get fairly close if there is a big field. 16 is max, 20 for Derby."

Dempsey gave his rough estimates on the likely betting handle.

"$165 million on Derby last year, $53 million on Belmont...I would guess $95 million this year."

It's beginning to look like Major League Baseball will get underway in early July despite the owners and players fighting over pay.  While Commissioner Rob Manfred could likely grant a shorter - and highly undesirable - season, this simply buys time.  More games can be added down the road as well as a possible extension of the post season.  Furthermore, some ball parks may allow fans.  Along with more MLB games being televised nationally, owners will see reduced losses with fans permitted. 

The best news of the week: The NBA gets a reboot July 31.  That's still several weeks away but it's beginning to look like a jam-packed August through October in the world of Sports.

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher