Global warming wagering is the new sports betting, oddmakers say. Because 2020
The silence of the sports world has been bombastic in the ears of fans across the globe, most clinging to any semblance of a game since the world shifted under the extraordinary weight of the coronavirus. And fans aren’t the only ones. The sports betting industry was impacted at the hands of COVID-19 as well – but not in a way one might think.
Gamblers all over the world can now bet on...global warming.
You read that right.
MyBookie, one of the leading online sportsbooks, unveiled on Wednesday that gamblers can now bet on numerous odds including what the land/ocean temperature index will be for 2020 or what the carbon dioxide measurement will be for the month of August.
According to the press release, David Strauss, MyBookie’s head oddsmaker, “believes that COVID-19 will have played a big role in decreasing carbon emissions after factory production slowed down across the world as a result of the pandemic.”
In a study sponsored by the World Climate Research Program, the Earth’s global average temperature will increase between 4.1 and 8.1 degrees Fahrenheit (2.3 and 4.5 degrees Celsius) thanks to human-caused carbon emissions triggering irreversible damage to the planet.
All MyBookie global warming wagers will be settled according to NASA, the release said.
Here are a few of the odds listed on July 23:
What will the Land/Ocean Temperature Index be for 2020
Over 0.99 Celsius +400
Under 0.99 Celsius -700
What will the Carbon Dioxide measurement be for August 2020
Over 415 ppm -120
Under 415 ppm -120
What will the Sea Level Rate of Change be on January 1, 2021
Over 3.5 millimeters per year +120
Under 3.5 millimeters per year -160
Nevada sportsbooks saw wagers drop 76 percent in March — a usually profitable time with the NCAA March Madness, the start of MLB and the NBA playoffs — in the wake of the pandemic. Only $141.2 million was bet at Nevada sportsbooks during March 2020, which is a large differential from March 2019 where a record $596.7 million was bet, according to ESPN.
Even though sports leagues are starting to dip their toe in the water to test out the coronavirus-laced temperature, starting with the beginning of Major League Baseball’s 2020 season on Thursday, gamblers don’t necessarily need sports to fill their gambling void.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Global warming wagering is the new sports betting, oddmakers say. Because 2020."