![](https://www.marketplace.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/GettyImages-1248502207.jpg?w=720)
Ping pong, anyone? Sports fans find new games to bet on during the pandemic
Ping pong, anyone? Sports fans find new games to bet on during the pandemic
![](https://www.marketplace.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/GettyImages-1248502207.jpg?w=720)
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.
Click the audio player above to hear the full story.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.