As the last major sports league to have signed official betting deals, the NFL has been lagging behind its peers. However, it has taken a few steps to make betting on NFL games as official as possible. For one thing, it has partnered with three sportsbooks, giving them access to official league data. In exchange, NFL betting partners can promote their relationship with the league and tie their brands to statistics. The NFL expects that, over the course of the five-year deal, its partnership with these companies will earn it nearly $1 billion. The NFL can opt-out of the deal after the first three years.
The PGA Tour has also announced a three-year marketing and content deal with online gambling firm Bet365. The agreement designates the latter as the Official Betting Operator outside North America, and the two firms are working together to develop new ways to market the series. In addition to providing odds on PGA Tour player pages and leaderboards, the two companies will also work together to develop a 3D shot tracking platform, known as “TOURCast”.
The PGA TOUR has taken steps to prevent blatant sports betting. It has created a robust integrity program and partnered with Genius Sports and IMG ARENA to license live scoring data. It also became a platinum member of the National Council on Problem Gambling and aligned with the American Gaming Association and Have a Game Plan campaign to educate golf fans and encourage responsible betting. The PGA TOUR also has an app to help people understand how to make wise decisions while betting on sports.
