For years, one of the biggest barriers to legal sports betting for most Americas was the professional sports leagues along with the NCAA. These organizations–in concert with jock sniffing politicians that did their bidding–did everything in their power to subvert the will of the people and keep US sports betting in the dark ages. Their sham came crashing down with the Supreme Court ruling on the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
Since then, they’ve been scrambling to get a piece of the pie. Thankfully, their proposal for ‘integrity fees’ have been almost universally rebuffed though some jurisdictions have been hoodwinked into requiring ‘official league data’. Otherwise, the leagues have started to realize that sports betting is here to stay and they best figure out how to leverage it for the benefit of their organization–financially and otherwise.
The PGA was never in ranks with the NFL and NCAA as a virulent obstruction to legal sports betting. Given the prevalence of betting in golf that would be the height of hypocrisy. Since the ruling that overturned PASPA they’ve been quick to come around to the new reality and despite some initial support for a Federal government sports betting power grab they’re at the forefront of leveraging sports betting to increase fan engagement. Not long ago, they announced that DraftKings would become the official daily fantasy partner of the PGA. On the surface, that’s a small move toward sports betting but at the time I suggested that it wouldn’t be long before you’d see golf make a stronger move toward embracing sports betting–possibly using DraftKings as the official provider for live betting data.
Earlier this week, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan dropped an even bigger surprise. In an exclusive interview with AFP at the Zozo Championships in Japan Monahan said that the PGA will offer on-site gambling options for fans in 2020. Specifics were vague but there was no equivocation about the timeline:
“You’ll start to see product in the market place next year. It’s all about engagement. … When done right, it gives fans the opportunity to engage with your sport over a longer period of time and have more interest in what’s happening across the entire player field.”
Earlier in the year, Monahan discussed the benefits of betting to fan engagement:
“Where we are from a gaming standpoint, I’ll break it down to two points. We have for the last couple of years put all the systems in place from an integrity program to monitoring program to our ShotLink technology in place so we can be in a position to participate. The reason we would do it is because we think gaming leads to more engagement.”
He says that for existing fans betting will be a ‘second, third or fourth screen experience’ meaning that it’ll be an ancillary supplement to the actual golf broadcast. What he didn’t say is that they’ll also benefit from the ‘flip side’ of what he discussed–sports bettors that are just ‘looking for a bet’ and find that they enjoy golf from a fan perspective.
The PGA isn’t exactly ‘reinventing the wheel’ with on-site betting at tournaments. It’s been available internationally for years, most notably at English Premier League soccer games. While it might not be truly innovative it’s a great development for the United States sports betting marketplace on several levels. Most significantly, the more that the ‘sports establishment’ embraces the betting component the better it will be for access and legalization nationwide. This is true not only due to the symbolic perception of sports betting as being ‘more acceptable’ in mainstream eyes but due to what really makes things happen–the almighty dollar. When major players outside of the gaming industry ecosystem start to advocate for a more widespread availability of sports betting that’s when you’ll see things change quickly.
Furthermore, it’s nice to see sports leagues coming to the realization that betting is going mainstream in the US and the sky hasn’t started to fall. It’s another revenue stream for their organization and another way of experiencing their sport much in the same way that many now experience sports through video gaming. The leagues still hem and haw a bit too much about ‘integrity’ when anyone familiar with sports betting knows that the best safeguard is the eyes of bookmakers all over the world watching wagering patterns on games and events.
Maybe they’ll eventually figure this out as well but overall it’s a ‘brave new world’ as far as the mainstreaming of sports betting. Yesterday, we reported on the deal between MGM Resorts and Yahoo but equally as significant was the fact that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman contributed quotes to the press release praising the partnership. That’s something that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
James Murphy | Biography | CasinoInsider.com
For more than 25 years, Jim Murphy has written extensively on the world gaming industry, casino culture and sports betting. The international gambling expert has been quoted in national media from Forbes and the Wall Street Journal to USA Today and Entertainment Weekly. Murphy worked as a Las Vegas based radio and podcasting host broadcasting to an international audience that depended on his expertise and advice. Murphy is an odds making consultant for sports and ‘non-sport novelty bets’ focused on the entertainment business, politics, technology, financial markets and more. He stays immersed in the casino culture of Las Vegas and beyond with a focus on its unique and eclectic offerings. Mainstream media sources rely on Murphy for his perspective on business and political events related to the international gambling industry. He splits his time between Salt Lake City, Utah and Columbia, South Carolina.
CasinoInsider.com provides the most thorough casino game guides, casino news, and industry and legal analysis on the internet. Our experts are on the front lines with more than 25 years of experience in the business as oddsmakers, casino and sports book consultants and media sources for mainstream outlets including USA Today, New York Post, Forbes, Entertainment Weekly and more. Whether you are just starting out or are an experienced gambler, there will always be something for you to learn at CasinoInsider.com.
