MLB And Sportradar Partner To Sell Official League Data To Sportsbook Operators

• Sportradar is an international provider and seller of sports information and data
• Mark Cuban, Michael Jordan, and Ted Leonsis are all advisory board members for Sportradar
• This is MLB’s first major partnership involving sports betting outside of the U.S.

With the rapid expansion of sports betting in the US, professional sports leagues have tried to find a way to capitalize on the activity. Sports bettors across the country have wagered on games for years using data provided by sportsbooks, but now the MLB hopes Sportradar can sell that data for them.

The deal made between Major League Baseball and Sportradar will become active at the start of the 2019 season and will involve the MLB tracking data and giving Sportradar the exclusive right to sell that information to sportsbook operators located abroad and to some in the US.

Sportradar is based in Switzerland and has previously struck a similar deal with the NBA back in 2016. That deal involved a six-year, 250-million-dollar contract and has since seen the company strike later deals with operators such as William Hill Plc, Ladbrokes Coral Group Ltd., and DrafKings Inc.

Kenny Gersh, Executive Vice President of Gaming and New Business Ventures at the MLB, hopes to see similar returns for baseball.

“This is a nice holistic deal as we get into the sports-betting space more aggressively in the U.S.,” he said.

The Deal’s Impact On Live Betting

Live betting is offered at all major online offshore sportsbooks. It gives the ability for users to place wagers on key stats of the game as the match unfolds in real time.

For sports such as soccer, it can be very difficult to formulate odds in time because the game is constantly moving. However, baseball does not run on a clock, allowing sports bettors the chance to bet on almost every pitch throughout the game.

This ability can help drive greater interest in the sport overseas, but it requires that accurate data be provided to the sportsbooks in time. The MLB has prepared all 30 stadiums to catch this information and it will be up to Sportradar to use that as part of their sales pitch.

Other MLB Interest In Sports Betting

Since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, professional sports leagues have tried to argue to state lawmakers that they are entitled to an “integrity fee” for any state that legalizes sports betting.

The fee would be added to any bets made on MLB games and the proceeds would go to ensure fairness in each game played. In return, the MLB would provide official data to the state’s sportsbook operators.

Unfortunately for the MLB, each state that has legalized wagering on sports so far, have ignored this plea and have begun to accept bets anyway.

That has not stopped the league from pursuing other avenues to profit from any state’s expanding their gambling operations.

Last year, MGM Resorts International became the “official gaming partner” of MLB. The deal allowed MGM to use any of their trademark logos and data within their sports betting facilities.

While their deal with Sportradar is limited in the US, the implications could prove to be substantial for sportsbooks located overseas and for bettors in the US that use those sports wagering websites.