This three-part series will analyze what a sports betting feed will look like for users, what data and technology will power the experience, and what the business implications will be for leagues and networks. This part focuses on the user experience. Part two examines the streaming technology and data rights that will power the experience, and part three tackles the business implications.
The derivative architecture and neon lights of Atlantic City and the Las Vegas Strip are a garish sight, a contrived nirvana. Advertisements for state lotteries and national games like Mega Millions and Powerball are bright and flashy. Commercials for daily fantasy sports were loud and ubiquitous when they first launched.
When asked about the influence of graphic-filled Twitch gamers streams in early April, NBA commissioner Adam Silver mused about the possibility of gambling microtransactions and layers of data fields infused into an over-the-top channel. But the reality of sports betting in the U.S. may look quite different than any Vegas-inspired, gaudy, gamified feed.
SportTechie conferred with more than a half-dozen insiders about what betting coverage and feeds will look like, and those experts invoked the examples of dignified business outlets—CNBC, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal—as comparisons. And each was bullish on the importance of OTT feeds helping drive fan engagement through in-play betting.
“I think you can imagine a lot of media networks transitioning a lot of their tune-in programming and on-demand programming to feel more like CNBC where there are buy-side and sell-side analysts providing very detailed, very thorough data analysis of games and their recommendations,” said Monumental SVP for strategic initiatives, Zach Leonsis. “We need to elevate our game, and that respect and that professionalism is going to be critical for the success and acceptance of this as a more regular piece and part of sports viewing.”
Fret not, anti-gambling purists: your classic, untainted viewing experience won’t change. Game broadcasts as they exist now will continue, and the betting-targeted productions will appear on supplementary feeds. Think along the lines of ESPN MegaCasts, when there are simulcast feeds with different commentary and graphics.
Predicting a uniform betting platform, however, is impossible given the vagaries of 50 state legislatures all putting forward (or not) bills to legalize sports wagering. In the absence of federal legislation, Chris Grove, the managing director of research firm Eilers and Krejcik Gaming, expects 32 states to sanction some form of sports gambling in five years. The mechanism for bets will vary radically depending on the entrenched stakeholders, such as the existence of lottery retail outlets, casinos (Native American and otherwise), racetracks, and route gambling (meaning slot machines in bars, taverns, truck stops and similar establishments).
“Some states may try, foolishly, to restrict it to racetracks and casinos,” said former NBA commissioner and sports tech investor David Stern. “Others will likely do racetracks, casinos and online, and I think that’s what’s going to rule the day. Then the sports leagues and the facilities in which the teams play are going to have to decide whether they want to dip their toes in the water or jump into the pool.”
While Silver has suggested a possible integration of gambling with the official feed, not every U.S. league is as keen to join the action.
“I don’t see our sport—and I can only speak for our sport—[having] direct participation in gambling activity at any point,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, “but everyone recognizes that sports betting can be a source of fan engagement. And we’re going to try and capitalize on that opportunity.”
No league has been as forthright about its intentions as the Arena Football League, where Zach’s father, Ted Leonsis, owns two of the clubs, the Baltimore Brigade and Washington Valor. Monumental Sports Network broadcasts the games on its OTT streaming network and provides in-game commentary through the Vegas Stats & Information Network, VSiN, analyzing how odds are changing based on game play.
“To be part of the primary broadcast for any major sports league is a tremendous opportunity,” said VSiN founder and chairman Brian Musburger. “It’s revolutionary content.”
VSiN has already assembled a stable of on-air talent, and Zach Leonsis said new personalities will emerge. He envisions a “Jim Cramer for sports betting,” noting that the homage paid to ESPN fantasy insider Matthew Berry before football drafts as evidence of a transferrable skillset.
More than 70 percent of sports bets in Europe happen after the game has already started, Musburger said, although only two percent of action in Nevada takes place in-play. Nearly every expert expects the U.S. market to follow suit with mobile in-play wagering wherever states permit it.
Perform Group is a major supplier of broadcast feeds to European betting houses that then add their own bespoke betting graphics and commentary for in-play wagering.
“In time, that will come,” Perform Group’s EVP of business development, Matt Drew, said. “I think it’s absolutely certain that that’s the case because people will realize that’s the best customer experience. It’s a product and service that benefits everyone in terms of creating a safe, secure and efficient market.”
Grove sees a future whereby not only do OTT feeds include betting-specific overlays but also augmented and virtual reality experiences could incorporate such info.
Leonsis, who serves as the network’s general manager, said streaming technology’s advancement to a near standard 1080p resolution has boosted mobile viewing tremendously.
“You can just imagine the ability to watch the live game experience along with real-time or pregame proposition opportunities, all happening within one video,” he said. “Digital has the unique inherent advantage of taking advantage of the touchscreen functionality that a smartphone or a tablet has to offer. That’s a serious leg up from the linear experience.
“I do think you’re going to start to see media networks begin to participate in gaming and trying to make the experience as seamless as possible all in one window.”
As for Monumental’s own plans, Leonsis remained coy.
“I would say that we are considering an integration with gaming into our platform,” he said, “and I’ll leave it at that.”