Sports Data Industry News & Updates - January 2020
Welcome to 2020! Last year was a great year for our company and the Sports Data industry, as sports betting continues to lead most conversations. We are excited to take last year’s momentum and continue to innovate and improve our products throughout this year. If you or someone you know has sports data/content needs, please check out updated Marketing Deck, and don’t hesitate to get in touch.
COMPANY NEWS
Aggregated Odds Service:
Our most exciting and in-demand product for 2019 was our Aggregated Odds Service, which has the vision of "Every Market, Across All Sports, From Every Legal US Sportsbook." January will see the launch of Version 2, which delivers all NBA markets (game odds + props + futures) from top New Jersey books, followed by College Basketball in time for March Madness, and MLB in time for Opening Day.
Additionally, we will be adding a new wave of New Jersey and Pennsylvania sportsbooks with basic odds coverage (pre-match spread, moneyline, over/under) to our ever-growing list of legal on-shore sportsbooks.
Check out the Aggregated Odds Service brochure for more info!
New Sports - Recently Launched & Coming Soon...
SportsDataIO has recently launched UFC and WNBA! We won’t have any new sports launched this month, but Minor League Baseball will be launched in April followed by tennis later this Spring.
CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT - Catena Media
We recently partnered with Catena Media to be their exclusive provider of odds via our Aggregated Odds Service to power their growing collection of US-facing betting sites geared toward acquiring new users. Read more here about how SportsDataIO's products were able to help Catena focus on what they do best: user acquisition.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Here is a look at some of the biggest news stories from the sports betting industry over the last month.
- DraftKings Becomes Public Company: DraftKings announced that they would become a publicly-traded company. This huge announcement makes DraftKings the first and only vertically-integrated sports betting company.
- DraftKings Announces Huge Loss During Merger Statement: While announcing their merger with SBTech, it was revealed that DraftKings lost over $114 million during the first nine months of 2019. Revenue went up for DraftKings during those months, but costs of revenue increased by a much quicker rate.
- Verizon Expanding Sports Betting: Verizon plans to continue to grow in their sports betting venture by opening up in five more states through their deal with MGM Resorts International. Verizon broke into the sports betting industry in 2019 through its Yahoo Sports mobile app, but they are looking for more.
- The Sports Video Group Welcomes Sparx: Sparx Technology will be a new mobile integrator/sponsor for The Sports Video Group. Sparx is known for creating interactive TV media, but they will be using their platform to make betting predictions as a part of this new deal.
LEGAL UPDATE - A state-by-state look...
- California: California is one of several states that have been trying to gain traction to legalize sports betting, and they took some big steps in the last month. There was a preliminary meeting on sports betting held by state lawmakers earlier this month, and a bill is expected to be formally introduced soon. Any sports betting bill law would have to be approved by the voters of the state, and California lawmakers are aiming to have this on the ballot in November.
- Illinois: The state of Illinois legalized sports betting during the summer of 2019, but they are just now getting things going. Illinois has started to layout the application process for those locations that are interested in obtaining a license. Casinos will have the first crack at a license, but major sports stadiums can apply for a license as well. Mobile sports betting cannot be legalized in Illinois until 18 months after sports betting is officially launched.
- Maryland: The Maryland General Assembly convened earlier this month, and the topic of sports betting will be on the docket. The General Assembly must decide whether or not the option to create a constitutional amendment will be included on the ballot in November. This constitutional amendment would legalize sports betting throughout the state. A ⅗ vote is needed from both houses in the General Assembly, but both sides feel that this bill will be passed. Maryland tried to get a sports betting law passed in 2018, but it gained little traction before being tabled.
- Maine: It appears that sports betting fans in the state of Maine will have to wait a little bit longer to place a legal bet. Governor Janet Mills recently vetoed a bill that would have legalized sports betting in Maine, which will force the state lawmakers to create a new bill if they wish to get the topic started again. There was hope that Mills would sign the bill into law, allowing Maine to be one of several states ready to launch sports betting in 2020.
- Michigan: It took almost five years for Michigan to legalize sports betting, but they were finally able to pass a law in 2019. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed sports betting into law, and now Michigan is in the process of receiving applications to launch sports betting. Professional sports leagues will have to approve for their data to be used by sportsbooks in Michigan after a bill was recently passed adding that requirement.
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire is now the 14th state to have legalized sports betting in the United States. Governor Chris Sununu placed the first legal bet in the state, when he bet on the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Sununu eventually lost his bet, but sports betting fans in New England now have another state where they can legally bet on sports. New Hampshire has agreed to a deal with DraftKings that will provide them the availability to offer mobile/online sports betting.
- Tennessee: It appears that Tennessee is getting closer to the launch of their sports betting industry. State lawmakers believe that the state will be ready to begin accepting applications for a sports betting license by the end of January, with an anticipated start date of early March. All sports betting in Tennessee will be done via mobile, as the state does not have any casinos.
- Vermont: Senators Richard Sears and Michael Sirotkin are working towards getting sports betting legalized in the state of Vermont. The two senators pre-filed bill S.213, which would legalize mobile wagering in the state of Vermont. Vermont does not have any casinos currently in operation, and mobile sports betting is the only option. The bill will be discussed by other state lawmakers in the coming weeks, in hopes that the bill will eventually reach the Governor’s desk
If you or someone you know has content or data needs, please get in touch to talk with one of our reps
Sam Pearson
Sam Pearson is a Senior Account Executive for SportsDataIO and has been with the company since September of 2020. Sam currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona, but grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. You can always find him catching up on the latest and greatest in the sports world, actively following the Cubs, Bears, and Blackhawks.
