The NFL has become the latest American sports league to announce official betting partnerships. This means the league will be providing data to sportsbooks as well as promoting its relationship with the league. For example, sportsbooks will be able to tie their brands to the league’s on-air and online statistics. But it is not clear whether this relationship will continue beyond the first year. It is possible that the NFL will opt out of the deal after three years.
The NFL and sportsbook operators can sell a total of six commercials per game, with each ad worth around $25,000. But the networks are wary of alienating casual fans. As a result, the league’s partners will continue to experiment with alternative broadcasts, even if they don’t affect the main telecasts. But Wingo thinks the networks will eventually introduce sports betting analysts to their telecasts.
Sports betting in the US is legal in most states. In Delaware, in-person wagering is permitted at one of the three casinos. In Mississippi, sports betting is only legal at a retail outlet. In South Dakota, sports betting is legal at casinos in Deadwood. In Montana, a geofenced footprint must be maintained around a sportsbook in order to be allowed to conduct wagering in-person. This means that sports betting in these states must be conducted in a brick-and-mortar casino.
In mid-2017, the NFL had a look at the legalized sports gambling market. The league met with gambling operators, governing bodies, and sports entities. In this way, it was able to determine how legalized betting could help the industry, and what steps needed to be taken to make it happen. In the end, the NFL found that the majority of illegal sports betting is being conducted on smartphones. It has taken a long time to reach the final decisions, but the NFL has made strides toward making it legal.