This Summer, you may have noticed the number of esports leagues and tournaments available on your favourite sports betting website. In particular, you may have seen the Major League Gaming (MLG) Championship and Summer Championship, and the X-Games in Los Angeles.
Now that the season is over, you may be wondering when you can place bets on esports again. If so, you’re in luck because this article is going to tell you when.
August 2019: The Summer of League Betting Is Back!
While it’s great to have popular sports like golf, tennis, and football back, the summer of 2019 is an unusual one. As you may remember, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of sports and esports events in April, and put the future of sports betting in doubt. But despite the odds, sports betting did return as businesses adapted to the new world that emerged after the pandemic – primarily social distancing. With events like the NFL season opener and the Euro 2020 soccer season restored, bettors had something to bet on again.
Fortunately, the MLS returned with a vengeance and the X-Games in LA also resumed in August. While these events aren’t specifically geared towards gamblers, they did provide perfect opportunities for fans of participating teams to place some bets. Even the NHL resumed in part and suspended its season in April.
As a result, the summer of 2019 was a veritable feast of betting opportunities for fans of the sports that took place this summer. And boy did they ever feast! Between the NFL, NBA, and MLS seasons, and the EPL, La Liga, and Bundesliga seasons, there were a whopping 27 sports and esports events that you could bet on this summer.
But even with so much sports and esports action, it’s not all good news. While the likes of the NFL, NBA, and MLS survived the pandemic relatively unscathed, many other leagues were not so lucky and still don’t have a confirmed return date. This includes the highly-anticipated Red Bull Air Race World Championship, the PGA Championship, the IndyCar Championship, and the WNBA season. So if you live in a country where gambling is illegal, you may have to wait until next summer to get your fix of professional sports betting.
Fanduel Will Continue To Expand Its California Coverage In The Coming Months
If you’ve been following us for a while then you’ll know that we’re big fans of Fanduel. We think their odds are great and their customer service is exceptional. Plus, they offer a variety of betting options that we haven’t seen on other sites.
Now, let’s be honest, not everyone is going to be able to make the most of all of Fanduel’s perks. But, if you’re in California and need a sportsbook that offers great odds and an engaging experience, then Fanduel is the perfect fit.
Why Are Sportsbooks In California Vulnerable?
While many other states have been slow to adapt to the modern world after the pandemic, California has been a bit quicker on the uptake. In fact, several sportsbooks in California have already started taking bets again and are waiting for the rest of the states to get on board.
This is mainly due to California’s stringent gaming laws. It is illegal to offer casino games in the state, but it is legal to offer sportsbooks. As a result, several casinos in California are now offering odds on sports and crypto betting too.
And it is this overlap that makes sportsbooks in California more vulnerable. It is still very unlikely that any sportsbooks in California will get busted by law enforcement because of the lack of overlap between sports betting and illegal gambling. Nevertheless, it’s always a possibility. One wrong move and you could be facing serious legal consequences.
How To Be Protected
While there’s no getting around the fact that California is a vulnerable state when it comes to sports betting, there are ways you can still protect yourself.
The first thing you should do is verify the integrity of the sportsbooks you are planning to bet on. It is fairly common for sportsbooks to get hacked, and when that happens, all of your personal information (including your bank details) are at risk of being stolen. And, in some cases, your funds won’t be refunded either.
So, before you place a bet, make sure the site you are planning to bet on is 100% legitimate. You can check out their reputation by looking into their Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating or visiting their website to read reviews.
Also, make sure you’re using a reputable payment method. Many scammers will try to trick you into giving them your banking details or using fake credit cards. So, always make sure you’re doing business with a known and trusted company.
Hopefully, this article was able to shed some light on the fact that although it’s great to have sports back, California can still be a dangerous place for sports betting. If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud or abuse, please contact the National Football League (NFL) at fraud_complaint@nfl.com or file a complaint with the BBB.