While a person could debate the impact legal sports gambling might have on an individual casino’s revenues, there’s one facet of the story that’s indisputable: Businesses related to sports books are looking at a boom.
Two such companies are Sportradar and SBTech, and both of them have significant histories in the sports betting world on the other side of the globe, where sports wagering is much more commonplace.
Both were present at the Southern Gaming Summit Thursday, which is appropriate, considering Mississippi legislators have already approved sports betting. Pending, of course, an overturn of PASPA.
“By the time the 2018 NFL season begins, it’d be shocking to me if Mississippi casinos weren’t booking bets,” attorney Daniel Wallach said. “They need the right outcome, (but) then, once the regs are issued, it’s going to move quickly.”
“Why would they be making a big splash in Mississippi unless they believe that that market is fertile for expansion? They’re not going to waste their time.”
Sportradar is known throughout the world for its bet monitoring and analyzing. Wallach says that, as states begin to enact laws that allow operators to have real-time access, there will be increased interest in, and use of, such monitoring companies.
“It’s best practices,” he said. The company also does risk management for casinos that may want to operate their own sports books; for example, Sportradar would help the casinos balance their bets on both sides, and advise which bets should be taken.
Laila Mintas, deputy president for Sportradar, said the United States has some catching up to do in the field.
“When we first speak to the leagues, there’s really a lack of knowledge of how the betting market works, how the integrity systems work, and what is really needed,” she said. “And we’ve see that from many of the states, as well… If the system you set up cannot compete with that big black betting market, people will keep betting with illegal bookmakers, instead of coming into the legal market. That’s a real risk that we see.”
Meanwhile, SBTech is a global leader in omni-channel sports betting and gaming.
Over the past few months, SBTech’s focus on live betting has seen it release an array of new mobile-focused in-play features in regulated European markets, such as Add2Bet, Action Betting and, most recently, the patent-pending Pulse Betting.
“SBTech has made a commitment to the U.S. market by implementing our iGaming platform, and we have an eye toward the expansion of sports betting in the appropriate states,” said Marc Brody, SB Tech’s U.S. Gaming Advisor.
“For us, the U.S. market allows us to bring our extensive knowledge of regulated gaming to an audience of customers that have not had access to these types of sports entertainment features before, and provides a unique opportunity for SBTech to deploy our best-in-class sports solutions to that audience.”
SBTech will come into play in legalized sports gambling states with both online and mobile components. For example, SBTech could be the online partner for a casino racetrack or a state lottery.
Whether or not sports betting comes into play, however, SBTech plans to continue to advance its iGaming platform in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
