Genius Sports, the international sports data technology company, has entered into a multi-year partnership with DraftKings, which gives the US fantasy sports and betting provider access to data from American football’s NFL to integrate into its betting options.
DraftKings will gain access to the data and live video NFL feeds which Genius secured rights to through a deal with the league earlier this year.
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It becomes the first fantasy gaming operator to sign up for official NFL data with Genius.
In April, DraftKings, Caesars Entertainment and FanDuel were selected as the NFL’s three exclusive betting partners – in agreements reported to be worth just under $1 billion combined over five years – giving each company the rights to use league logos, and to integrate their betting content into the NFL’s official media and digital assets.
In the same month, Genius landed exclusive global rights to distribute the NFL’s betting data feed to media outlets and sportsbooks, in an arrangement which also included the NFL taking a small equity stake in Genius, which went public this year.
This partnership therefore represents a combination of those two previous deals, and means NFL data products, interactive content, and player acquisition information will be available to DraftKings.
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By GlobalDataThe signing up of official sports betting partners is a natural consequence of the liberalisation of sports betting in USA, following the Supreme Court ruling in 2018 which repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, that had effectively banned the activity outside the state of Nevada.
A long list of states have since legalised sports betting, and, having long been resistant to the industry, leagues (like the NFL) and teams have joined US gambling operations in rushing to capitalise on the opportunities on offer.
Mark Locke, Genius Sports’ chief executive, said: “Being selected by DraftKings, one of the most prolific sportsbook brands in the US, is another historic achievement for Genius Sports. This partnership reinforces our commitment to official sports data and demonstrates its intrinsic value in helping our sportsbook partners stand out from the competition.”
Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings, added: “Our customers are at the forefront of all we do and we are always working to better their experience and our products. The mutually beneficial terms of this agreement allow us to leverage Genius’ technology for years to come.”
The deal will also allow DraftKings to obtain data from a range of other top-tier sports leagues, including basketball’s NBA, baseball’s MLB, motor racing’s Nascar, English soccer’s Premier League, and ice hockey's American Hockey League.
