After about two years of constant COVID coverage across every conceivable medium, at least one of the industry’s best online sportsbooks has actually managed to post some coronavirus odds.
So what exactly took so long?
Honestly, we really don’t know.
Our best guess is that – until now – the topic has simply been too dangerous. While COVID probably won’t kill you, if your business is reliant in any way on Google search results, COVID coverage just might – especially if it mocks or otherwise challenges the mainstream narrative.
Perhaps the likes of Bovada and BetOnline simply didn’t want to risk their search rankings by offering low-dollar entertainment betting lines or current events odds. And that’s sensible.
Fortunately, MyBookie Sportsbook prides itself on being less sensible than its rivals.
That’s why the site often has drastically different odds for standard sporting contests, and it’s why we continue to recommend MyBookie to all US sports betting enthusiasts.
If MyBookie isn’t a part of your online gambling portfolio, you’re not maximizing your bottom line. It’s as simple as that.
So it’s really no surprise to see MyBookie finally bust out the coronavirus odds.
Yes, it’s generally a safer climate to do this now as vaccines are widely available and the new “omicron variant” is reportedly far less severe than previous models.
And yes, MyBookie is definitely being blunt – that is, decidedly not edgy – with their current COVID prop bet. But nevertheless, it’s a start, and it could lead to more COVID bets going forward.
That said, we’re still not totally confident that MyBookie will ever fully reclaim its old reputation as the amusingly shameless oddsmaker it used to be.
Last year, the site got rid of their famous celebrity death pools, and this year, they dropped their celebrity divorce odds. MyBookie hardly even has political odds anymore. Sure, you can still wager on alien invasions, bigfoot sightings, and other weird online bets, but that’s about it.
We hope all that changes for the better in the new year, but bettors can’t be choosers, so we’ll take what we can get here and now.
Without further ado, your first ever COVID-19 betting line:
First Letter In Name Of Next Dominant COVID Variant
- S +200
- T +300
- P +300
- O +350
- C +400
- A +400
- B +400
- R +450
- G +500
- U +500
- Z +500
- L +500
- D +600
- K +600
- M +700
- I +700
- X +700
- N +800
Ostensibly, the COVID drops have so far been named according to the Greek alphabet, in ascending order.
The first scary, economy-crippling, election-altering version of the virus was simply called COVID-19, but behind the scenes, different mutations started piling up. Allegedly.
Every so often, one of these mutations would be deemed a worthy successor to what we suppose might retroactively be called the “alpha variant” [“Aleph variant” is probably more apt, because this thing is going to persist into infinity. – Ed.], with the requisite ad campaign in tow.
The “delta variant” was the first big remake of the original, and after it ran its course, the “omicron variant” has established itself as the new hotness.
So, let’s take a look at the Greek alphabet and see where we’re at:
- Alpha
- Beta
- Gamma
- Delta
- Epsilon
- Zeta
- Eta
- Theta
- Iota
- Kappa
- Lambda
- Mu
- Nu
- Xi
- Omicron
- Pi
- Rho
- Sigma
- Tau
- Upsilon
- Phi
- Chi
- Psi
- Omega
It’s unclear how many other COVID variants there are after “omicron,” but it’s interesting to note that “xi” – which, by rights, “omicron” should be – was skipped out of deference to A. A. Milne’s favorite politician (and, obviously, as the result of a concerted global effort to ensure that we all get the full slate of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics betting odds we’re patiently waiting for).
At any rate, we’ve got – at most – nine more possible CDC Variants of Concern to choose from before they have to start naming these things like tropical storms and hurricanes.
Per the odds boards, that logically narrows things down to the following:
- S +200
- T +300
- P +300
- O +350
- C +400
- R +450
- U +500
Thus, A, B, G, Z, L, D, K, M, I, X, and N are out. This leaves S, T, P, O, C, R, and U as possibilities. (Make sure you avoid the flies in the Vaseline when making your wager.)
Let’s break down the finalists:
Pi is too beloved by Science™ nerds to receive the proper COVID treatment, so P could be a no-go.
The only O that remains is “omega,” which is clearly going to be saved for the biggest, scariest COVID variant (Summer 2022, probably), so that’s not next.
C – for “chi” – is a total nonstarter. Chicago is already the murder capital of the United States, and they don’t need any more bad press.
Meanwhile, “rho” seems unlikely. Anything with a silent letter is a no-no per the marketing department. Although, the next COVID could carry an R rating…
“Upsilon” is a weird one, but it does lend itself particularly well to various catchy slogans. “Mask up for Upsilon!” and similar nonsense comes to mind. U is thus a serious contender.
However, after further consideration, we’re going to put our money on P. There are three remaining Greek letters that start with P, after all, while there’s only one word each for all the other letters on the list above.
Maybe we’ll hedge with U.
All in all, we found MyBookie’s coronavirus betting odds to be amusing and timely.
Because even though we (and our wallets!) love MyBookie’s varied odds on all the day’s contests, we’re really starting to miss those quirky lines that help set the site apart from other top operators.
We hope these COVID odds are a positive sign of things to come for the sportsbook.
Update: BetOnline Joins The COVID Party!
And just like that, BetOnline’s in on the action!
While the sportsbook is taking a more politically oriented approach with its COVID wager, it’s arguably even more ridiculous:
Will Donald Trump and Joe Biden issue a joint statement promoting coronavirus vaccination?
- No -5000
- Yes +1200
There is literally no chance of this happening.
Happy New Year, everyone!