Sportradar, a global sports data company that has partnerships with the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL, has teamed up with U.K.-based betting house Sportech to deliver commercial sports betting solutions in the U.S.
The deal, which comes less than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could make their own decisions on sports betting, will combine Sportradar’s data tools with Sportech’s betting technology and terminals to enable pre-match and live betting services.
Sportech will also offer its network of 90 licensed U.S. operators access to Sportradar’s trading and risk management services, with plans to deploy Sportradar’s turnkey sports betting platform within its 16 Connecticut locations when legislation permits.
“We are thrilled to expand our product line to include Sportradar’s globally recognized sports betting capability,” said Sportech CEO Andrew Gaughan, in a statement. “We are poised to deliver a world class sports betting experience to our business clients across the U.S.”
Neale Deeley, Sportradar’s vice president of gaming sales, said the two companies share a vision of how the betting market will unfold and are well positioned to capitalize on the market with existing gaming licenses and strong customer bases.
“Our turnkey solutions and market leading bookmaker services will accelerate their sportsbook offering and provide them with a strong advantage as other states pass sports betting legislation,” said Deeley.
SportTechie Takeaway
With only a month into the Supreme Court ruling that paves the way for nationwide sports betting legalization, big deals are starting to be announced that leverage the immense opportunity in the U.S.
Sportradar and Sportech’s deal comes two weeks after Fanduel announced that it was being acquired by U.K.-based betting house Paddy Power Betfair, which meshes Fanduel’s existing U.S. fan base with Paddy Power Betfair’s robust gaming system.
The deal between Paddy Power Betfair and FanDuel was one of the first mega-deals to emerge in a new era of legalized sports betting in the U.S. There will likely be more of these kinds of partnerships and takeovers in the coming months and years, where companies with established European betting houses look to enter the U.S. by buying established companies here.
While Sportech and Sportradar are based abroad, both have been expanding their presence in the U.S. in preparation for legalization.