Which Sports Data is the Real Sports Data?
Is scraped data really live data? Also, more on the NFL player betting scandal. Plus Fanatics gets its deal done for PointsBet.
Happy Friday and welcome to your weekly roundup. Bayes won a lawsuit against PandaScore on the question of data scraping, more details on the NFL player betting scandal, and Fanatics pays (much) more to get the PointsBet deal done. If you enjoyed reading this, please subscribe or share it with a friend. Also tomorrow is July 1, which means it’s Tour de France time if you’re a cycling fan. Have a great weekend!
Market Movers
Data wars: Esports data firm Bayes won a lawsuit against PandaScore in Germany, dealing a blow to data scraping. Bayes, which offers live data for some 16,000 matches, argued that PandaScore couldn’t advertise data that it had scraped from a public video stream as “live” or “real-time”. The court ruled in Bayes’ favor. Bayes has data partnerships with Riot Games and others. This type of data is key for many operators in order to offer and settle wagers.
NFL player betting: Two Indianapolis Colts players Isaiah Rodgers and Rashod Berry and free agent Demetrius Taylor were suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games last season. A Tennessee Titans player was also suspended for six games for betting on other sports in the workplace. The investigation did not find game manipulation, ESPN reports. However, at least one Rodgers bet was placed on the Colts. It’s the latest in NFL players being suspended for gambling allegations.
PointsBet deal: PointsBet’s shareholders approved Fanatics’ $225 million offer to purchase its U.S. assets on Thursday. The move clears the way for Fanatics to build out its sportsbook using PointsBet’s licenses in a number of states—it will have access to more than 15 states now. Rival DraftKings previously made a $195 million bid, topping Fanatics’ original $150 million offer.
VCs bet on Betr: Jake Paul’s Betr raised a $35 million Series A extension at a $300 million pre-money valuation. Betr plans to expand its media operation and expand beyond micro-bets into traditional pre-game moneyline and same game parlays. It is licensed in Ohio and Massachusetts and plans to launch in Virginia.
What we’re reading
Should EA pay college students more than a reported $500 one-time payment per player for the 2024 EA Sports College Football video game?
Relatedly, EA just won an initial ruling against Brandr Group, which had argued that EA’s game would cause “irreparable” harm against students’ NIL earnings.
The Seminole tribe can offer mobile and in-person sports betting across Florida, according to a D.C. Circuit Court ruling.
FTN Network’s Stefano Vaccarino interviewed by Betting Startups. (Apple or Spotify)
Ohio’s legislature plans to increase the state’s sports betting tax rate from 10% to 20%.
An academic paper on the science of sports betting.
Overheard
“We are looking forward to delivering this national program to provide crucial education and advice regarding the ever-growing relationship between wagering and professional sports in the US.”—Epic’s director of sports partnerships Ben McGregor, on a deal for Epic Risk Management and Entain Foundation to educate MLS players about gambling harm.
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