The NCAA has declared that on-campus activities for football and basketball can resume June 1st, 2020. While this decision only affects football and men’s and women’s basketball, other NCAA sports are also expected to return to camp soon.
The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic forced the NCAA to postpone sports across the country and ended the 2020 March Madness tournament before it began.
NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships: https://t.co/qzKAS4McEI pic.twitter.com/G6XreZx35E
— NCAA (@NCAA) March 12, 2020
Sports fans were left up in the air to when and if sports would return in 2020, fortunately for bettors and fans alike, it looks like the end of the sports quarantine will soon be coming to an end.
NCAA council chair M. Grace Calhoun said that the NCAA encourages each school to use their discretion when it is safe to re-open. The council will allow voluntary athletic activities, but the decision to re-open should be based on the advice from medical experts.
This week, athletic directors from the SEC and other NCAA Conferences are expected to meet with health experts to seek recommendations about when to begin a phased re-opening. Returning athletic students are expected to be greeted with new protocols that will continue for the foreseeable future, including smaller workout groups, constant cleaning of equipment, and more. Many schools are making plans for a deep clean before students return.
As for betting, betting on NCAA basketball and March Madness particularly has grown to be one of the most exciting times of the year for 18+ sports bettors. The American Gaming Association expected about $10.4 billion to be wagered on the NCAAB tournament this year, up from last year’s predicted revenue of $8.5 billion.
Online sportsbooks have been supplementing their losses by offering betting lines on virtual sports, sims, and political betting. While these odds combined won’t surpass what was expected to be wagered on the March Madness tournament, it has been a lifeline for bettors looking for sports betting entertainment.
