The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is seeking approval from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Infectious Diseases to resume their 2020 season in a metaphorical bubble. The PBA announced that they are planning on restarting October 9th in the Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.
The PBA is the second oldest continuously professional basketball league globally and consists of 12 company-branded franchise teams. The league was founded in 1975 and today has sprung other basketball leagues around the Philippines, including the Chooks-to-go Pilipinas 3×3 and the Maharlika Pilipinas.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial has been eyeing a way for the league to return to action since the 2020 season was postponed in early March due to the coronavirus. Now the league believes the bubble will allow the IATF to approve the restart and protect their players from the virus.
The PBA wants to mirror what the American National Basketball League (NBA) has done in Orlando. Some of the details include; virtual fans only, and only 25 members per team allowed inside the facility. There will also be regular testing for the virus and protocols for positive test results. Other suggestions include fining players 100k pesos and withholding players’ salaries for a month if they choose to leave the bubble.
If the IATF signs off on the proposal, the new format is expected to have little effect on betting on the PBA unless multiple players get sick. Online sportsbooks will likely have more betting lines for the PBA reboot since the NBA’s season will soon come to a close, and other international leagues have not yet restarted.
When betting on basketball in the Philippines, it is important to remember that domestic events such as PBA matchups are not allowed at brick-and-mortar sportsbooks due to local gambling laws. However, betting online is allowed, and many sportsbook sites will accept Filipinos.
Online sportsbooks typically offer the most favorable lines, but seasoned sports bettors will tell you that line shopping is very real. Some bettors will have multiple accounts so they can quickly grab the betting lines they prefer. We created a guide to help Filipino bettors find reputable legal online sportsbooks. Our Philippine legal online sports betting guide pulls from our personal experiences over the past ten years and offers multiple sportsbook options, reviews, pros and cons, and much more.
Whether you choose to gamble or not, we cannot wait to see PBA action resume and hope that like the NBA, the Philippine Cup, the Governor’s Cup, and the Commissioner’s Cup will all be awarded this year and that players can do what they love in a safe environment.
Canlas says teams have nothing to worry if protocols are strictly followed https://t.co/tfo9CtiwdR
— PBA (@pbaconnect) September 23, 2020
