Despite fighting the legalization of sports betting to keep it banned, professional sports leagues have shifted their approach since losing the Supreme Court case that overturned PASPA. They’ve gone from arguing that sports betting would harm their integrity to embracing it, partnering with multiple sportsbooks, and opening sportsbooks inside stadiums on game days.
They’ve also taken steps to limit the spread of information about their teams and players, including preventing fans from betting on games if they are affiliated with a club at a lower level of the men’s or women’s league system. This rule also applies to match officials at FA Level 4 and below.
But limiting the flow of information doesn’t prevent people from betting on sports, so the leagues have been looking for ways to make it easier for people to do so. They have been pushing for laws that require the use of official data to grade in-game wagers, and they’re getting some help from partners.
Using a service called emBET, sportsbooks can offer users the option of placing a bet on NBA games directly from NBA League Pass. The betting feature is powered by Sportradar, which provides the NBA’s optical-tracking data. It’s a way to encourage bettors to spend more time with the game and to increase player engagement by enabling them to participate in a variety of interactive features, such as polls, voting, trivia, and advanced team and player insights.
The service is available in states that have legalized sports betting, including Colorado (DraftKings and FanDuel), Illinois (PointsBet, BetMGM), and Iowa (DraftKings, BetRivers). emBET is scheduled to launch in 2022 at other venues and on mobile devices.