Sacramento Kings Give Fans A Taste Of Sports Betting

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Although sports betting isn’t legal in California, the Sacramento Kings are letting fans experience the action. The NBA team has created a predictive gaming lounge to prepare for the future of California sports betting.

Predictive Gaming

The Sacrament Kings Skyloft Predictive Gaming Lounge is a space for fans to get more involved at home games for the Kings. The fans will be able to make predictions on game outcomes in the new lounge. Because sports gambling is not yet legal in the Golden State, no money will be wagered on these predictions.

The lounge is to pair with the predictive game app that the Kings also has. The app is called “Call The Shot” and it allows Kings fans to make in-game predictions during a game. Some of the predictions that fans can call are which team will have the highest rebounds, shooting percentage, top scoring teams, and other in-game predictions. Fans who play with the app and the lounge can win team merchandise signed by the Kings.

Preparing California For The Potential Future

“Our fans, we want to provide them with the best experiences possible, and this is, for us, a way for them to learn and for us to be prepared when it does become legal in California,” said Sacramento Kings CTO Ryan Montoya. “We’ve got training wheels on and when it does become legal, not only will we be ready but our fans will be ready.”

One of the other goals that the sports prediction lounge and app wants to make happen is that it wants to educate fans on what sports wagering is really like. The app lets fans experience prop bets without the risk of losing money. They want to make fans better gamblers for when sports gambling does become legal in California.

The app and lounge are also testing the technology needed to implement sports wagering in the state. Xperiel is the tech provider for the app. If the state does move forward with sports betting, Xperiel can make an argument that they can provide sports wagering for the state.

The Future Of Sports

They also believe that this is the future of experiencing sports in the country. The biggest users of the app are Gen Z and Millennials. Xperiel CEO Alex Hertel says it is because younger generations “demand more than a passive experience, they want to be engaged.” Hertel also says that Vegas-style gaming has been successful in engaging users of the app.

This is currently the only way for California residents to experience what legal sports betting will be like if the state were to legalize it. The Sacramento Kings is laying down the groundwork so if it does become legal, Kings fans can hit the ground running.