The sports-betting world’s response to Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine now includes several bookmakers and at least one state slapping a wagering ban on markets connected to the attacker.
Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet all announced by last Thursday that they would not take bets on sports leagues or events in Russia or Belarus.
DraftKings was the first, with the Boston-based company posting word of their betting ban on Twitter Thursday afternoon. The bookmaker said the prohibition not only applied to its business-to-consumer operations but to its business-to-business companies as well. One of those is SBTech, which DraftKings acquired two years ago and which has an office in Kyiv, Ukraine.
FanDuel followed suit with a similar ban shortly after DraftKings’ announcement. PointsBet announced its decision late Thursday afternoon and Caesars confirmed its decision to ban wagers on leagues and events in Russia and Belarus by Thursday evening.
Though no other legal sportsbook operator in the United States formally announced a Russian ban, BetMGM, BetRivers, FOX Bet, Tipico, and Unibet did not have any type of Russian markets available as of Monday afternoon.
— DraftKings News (@DraftKingsNews) March 3, 2022
The sportsbooks were joined by the state of Colorado, whose Division of Gaming put out a news release late Friday stating they had instructed licensed sports betting operators in the state that “no wagers are to be accepted on sporting events involving the Russian and Belarussian governing bodies, leagues, teams, or players from those countries until further notice.”
On Monday morning, Genius Sports joined the other entities. Genius, which provides sports betting data and technology, posted on its Twitter account that it was “ceasing all commercial operations in Russia and Belarus.”
Belarus has been accused of being an accomplice in the conflict by providing staging areas for Russia’s military to invade Ukraine.
Several sports affected
One sport likely to be affected by the ban could be table tennis. The sport has increased in popularity the last two years, which has been attributed to it being one of the few that wasn’t canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Colorado recently announced its handle for January and reported table tennis was eighth in money bet with $7.6 million wagered.
The biggest loser, however, could be the Kontinental Hockey League. The KHL is Russia’s biggest sports league and its hockey games are routinely posted on U.S. sportsbook sites.
Several athletes from Russia and Belarus have also been affected by the ban. The Winter Paralympics in Beijing announced last week it would not allow participants from the two countries to compete.
Other sports facing fallout from the blockade by online sportsbooks in the U.S. include curling, gymnastics, badminton, field hockey, and track and field.
What’s more, Formula 1 announced it was suspending the Russian Grand Prix, which was scheduled for September 27. The Haas racing team also announced they had terminated the contract of Russian Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin.
