SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour, through its partnership with Genius Sports, is now allowing sportsbooks to offer official data-powered markets and live video feeds.
The London-founded sports technology company will provide data and live video feeds to all participating sportsbooks and other online vendors, allowing bettors to engage with events in the sport in real time.
Sean Conroy, Executive Vice President, North America at Genius Sports, commented: “Creating an official data-powered betting product for pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in America, is a crucial platform for the PPA Tour to engage new and existing fans.
“We’re excited to offer sportsbooks with valuable new content including low latency video feeds on PPA Tour events, starting with this weekend’s Vulcan Kansas City Open.”
Furthermore, all PPA Tour professionals are subject to the PPA Tour Sports Betting and Integrity Policy – which the sport engaged Sportradar to aid in the creation of, as well as the e-learning platform and processes for safeguarding players.
The new deal begins with FanDuel Sportsbook and will see fans across 10 legalised betting states and one Canadian province now placing wagers on PPA Tour events, including the Vulcan Kansas City Open from 24-27 August.
At launch, bettors will be able to watch the live action while placing wagers on different betting markets such as match winners, correct match scores, total points (over/under) and head-to-head.
The governing body has stated that it expects ‘all major US sportsbooks’ to host pickleball gambling upon receiving approval in additional states.
“This is a monumental moment for the PPA Tour and the game of pickleball as a whole,” added PPA Tour Founder and CEO, Connor Pardoe. “We are excited to be paving the way in the pickleball sports betting space, and we couldn’t be prouder to lead the sport’s leap into such an innovative industry.
“The immense growth of pickleball over the past few years has driven widespread interest in all aspects of the game, including playing as amateurs and watching the professionals in person at events and from home.
“Our venture into sports betting will bring a whole new level of engagement from current and new fans, and we continue to be excited for what the future holds for our sport.”
