Genius Sports Signs Major Exclusive Data Deal with English Premier League

Posted on: May 10, 2019, 10:04h. 

Last updated on: May 10, 2019, 10:04h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

Genius Sports has signed a “transformational” sports betting data deal with the English Premier League, which CEO Mark Locke said would afford his company “exclusive access to the most valuable sports betting content in the world.”

Genius Sports
Genius sports hits the back of the net as it is set to become the exclusive EPL data-supplier for betting operators across the world from the 2019-20 season. The current season is due to end this Sunday. (Image: PA Images)

Financial terms of the multiyear deal were not disclosed but the EPL contract is the biggest one going for a sports data company like Genius. Soccer is by far the most bet-upon sport in the world and the EPL probably the most bet-upon league.

We say “probably” because a vast amount of soccer wagering occurs in the Asian markets, which is largely unregulated and unknowable. But it’s no coincidence that many of the sponsors of Premier League jerseys this year are Asian-facing online betting companies.

Beginning from next season, Genius will collect and beam live data from inside stadiums to sports betting operators around the world within a fraction of a second for use in in-play betting. The deal includes over 4,000 games per season, from the EPL, the English Football League, and the Scottish Professional Football League.

Soccer Genius

Genius was selected in an open bidding process by FootballDataCo, British soccer’s rights holder and licensing company. It beat out competition from current EPL data-supply contractor, Perform Group, which last month agreed to be acquired by investment firm Vista Equity Partners.

FootballDataCo already had an integrity partnership with Genius which saw it work side by side with the Perform Group to analyze data and betting patterns in a bid to protect against match-fixing.

The use of secure, UK football league-sanctioned data signals the increased maturity of the industry and recognizes the value and protections that this official data feed provides,” said Locke.

“Football DataCo leads the world through its heavy investment in a product that assures operators can have complete confidence in its data supply to power some of the most valuable sports betting content in the world, including all Premier League matches.”

NASCAR Deal Signed Last Week

Genius also has either integrity or data deals in place with the PGA Tour, the NCAA, and — as of last Friday — NASCAR.

The stock-racing series is hoping legal US betting — particularly in-play — will provide a shot in the arm to its falling viewing figures. Currently, NASCAR accounts for a tiny percentage of betting handle in the regulated US markets.

But could the live data-feeds provided by Genius change all that? Probably not, says Westgate sportsbook manager Ed Salmons, who told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week that in-play is better suited to a sports like golf than NASCAR.

“In a golf tournament, especially the Masters in the third and fourth round, there’s so much changing on the leaderboard. In NASCAR, not so much,” he explained. “With 150 laps to go, I can point to four guys and I guarantee one of those guys is going to win. You don’t have guys going from 10th to first. It happens, but it takes crazy stuff to happen. Eight guys will win every race all year.”