Ping pong, anyone? Sports fans find new games to bet on during the pandemic

Sports fans need no reminder that most pro competitions they usually follow have been suspended or delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But while some sports are off, at least for the moment, mobile sports betting — in the 11 states plus Washington, D.C., where it is currently operational — has continued.

And the industry has been getting creative: Sports bettors have turned to Russian and Ukranian table tennis, as well as other lesser-known competitions like Taiwanese basketball and darts. Still, these fringe games aren’t making up for the absence of major sports. The total amount of money bet on sports online in Pennsylvania, for example, fell by about a third between March and May.

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