With legal sports betting now underway in Kentucky, you’ll want to know what to look for when choosing a new online sportsbook. Aside from finding a site that offers the sports you like to wager on, check out customer reviews and the betting menu to ensure they cover your favorite markets. You can also take a look at each sportsbook’s bonuses and rewards programs to find the best deal.
Official data is front and center in the fight to shape US sports betting policy, with leagues intent on a role as primary stakeholders and profits from state-regulated gambling. They’re seeking a direct share of the total amount wagered, but short of that they’re pushing for mandates on how data is used. That quest has supplanted integrity fees as the leagues’ preferred method for getting their piece of the golden sports betting pie.
In the wake of the SCOTUS decision to strike down PASPA, leagues launched their campaign for official data mandates in state legislatures. During public hearings, they argue that without such data, operators will not properly grade in-game bets. But Nevada has operated a regulated sports betting market for decades without such data, and regulators have turned aside similar efforts elsewhere.
Ultimately, the commercial value of official data will dictate how much it costs and whether it’s worth paying for, which in turn will determine the scope of any mandates. At present, the major sports have agreements with real-time data providers such as Sportradar and Genius Sports, with their relationships expanding alongside the popularity of US sports betting.
Players’ unions are unlikely to support any effort to collect, store or monetize the biometric data of their athletes, so look for stiff resistance to proposals to force bookmakers to use official league data. Even if that resistance isn’t enough to derail the push for data mandates, it may delay the day when the leagues achieve their goal of a more substantial slice of sports gambling revenue. Until then, the American Gaming Association supports private commercial agreements for official data but opposes legislative mandates. It’s a position that should be shared by bettors and operators alike.