NBA's League Pass to feature betting integration – Sports Business Journal
Subscribers to the NBA’s League Pass out-of-market streaming package will be able to place wagers through league sponsors FanDuel or DraftKings while keeping up with spreads and odds on their screens through a new “emBet” integration that data distributor Sportradar will roll out today.
Designed to better support in-play wagering through near real-time video and rapidly updated spreads and odds, emBet will allow users with accounts with either sportsbook to click on bet links presented next to the live game feed. That click sends them to the sportsbook app, where the bet can be confirmed with another tap.
Viewers must opt-in to gain access to the watch-and-bet overlay, just as they do game stats and other features. In states that haven’t legalized, they will see odds, but won’t be able to bet. EmBet integrations will be available on mobile devices using both iOS and Android platforms.
Bet types will be limited to point spread, over-under and moneyline at the start, with Sportradar working to develop more markets and greater personalization.
“As more of our fans consume content on digital platforms it unlocks new ways for them to interact with our games,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, EVP of media and gaming for the NBA. “In this case, it’s a step toward integrating the experience of watching and betting together, in an opt-in fashion, which we think will be great for engagement.”
Pace of play and the free flow of the game make in-play wagering more difficult to deliver in basketball than football or baseball, because scores and situations change more rapidly and more frequently.
Watching games on a stream allows bettors to avoid delays of upwards of 30 seconds that are common on cable and satellite broadcasts. But even that doesn’t solve the lag time that comes with going from a broadcast stream to a sportsbook app and finding a bet listing. With emBet, a single click will take users to DraftKings or FanDuel, where a pre-populated bet slip awaits.
“Fans can see the odds updating in real time and still keep their eyes on the game,” Kaufman-Ross said. “And if something happens that makes them want to place a bet, they have an easy avenue to do that.”
The NBA is the first league to integrate Sportradar’s emBet functions into its programming. Sportradar is working to develop the integration for use in other sports. The NBA would be supportive if networks that air its games wanted to add emBet to their digital platforms using any league-authorized sportsbooks, Kaufman-Ross said.
NFL data distributor Genius developed a similar watch-and-bet product for football, an early version of which it rolled out last season.
On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments.
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