Betting on games has already become a staple of the NBA experience and should rapidly grow with innovation and further expansion of sports wagering around the country, an NBA executive said Thursday.
“It’s already a big part of the fan experience,” Kaufman-Ross said of sports wagering, especially live in-play. “There’s enormous engagement opportunity. Those who bet on sports or play fantasy watch more games and consume more content.”
Speaking at a panel discussion at this week’s Global Gaming Expo, Scott Kaufman-Ross, senior vice president and head of fantasy and gaming for the NBA, admitted he was shocked when Ezra Kicharz, chief business officer for sports book operator DraftKings, told him that more than 70 percent of NBA wagers were in-game. Kaufman-Ross said he thought it was only in excess of 50 percent.
The NBA backed the expansion of sports betting before other major pro sports leagues and even before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on it in May 2016. The league has thought out its strategy, Kaufman-Ross said, and taken a different approach in how it treats wagering and does business around it.
Traditionally, the NBA has done exclusive deals within categories, for example with State Farm, Kia Motors and Gatorade, but it hasn’t taken that same approach with casino resort companies like some leagues have, Kaufman-Ross said. The NBA has 50 partnerships in 18 states, he said.
“(Wagering) is part of the fan experience, and we have to make sure it’s a reflection of the NBA,” Kaufman-Ross said. “That’s why we have partnered with all the licensed operators for logos and data feeds and created a more authentic product to make fans feel comfortable,” Kaufman-Ross said. “We thought we had an opportunity to play a role in creating those types of authentic experiences fans are used to.”
Fans don’t always know the difference between legal and illegal markets, he said. Partnering with operators to let them use the NBA logo and the term NBA Championship for futures odds helps with that distinction.
“We don’t think (futures odds) saying pro basketball championship should be the standard anymore,” Kaufman-Ross said. “Fans want an authentic experience. Fans don’t go into MSG wearing generic orange and blue T-shirts and don’t play Pro Basketball 2020 at home but NBA 2K20. They wear licensed (New York) Knicks T-shirts. The future of sports betting can look like that too.”
He described the NBA’s position on sports wagering as trying not to be intrusive, because officials understand not all fans desire that content, he said. The Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers have experimented with alternative telecasts catering to sports wagering, but it’s not something that’s a part of primary broadcasts, he said.
“(Those broadcasts are) for those who want that experience,” Kaufman-Ross said. “We think a lot of sports wagering needs to be a pull instead of a push. It’s about balance, not making it front and center for those not interested in it.”
There’s always a risk attached to integrity that comes with sports betting, but Kaufman-Ross said that’s the benefit of working with a legal market of regulators and operators in a transparent manner. Partnerships help tackle risks, he said.
By working with multiple casino partners who use the NBA’s data, Kaufman-Ross said that should help the league take advantage of innovation in the industry and help foster it.
