New Jersey punters will soon be able to make wagers on an event while watching it on their FanDuel mobile apps.
News of this exciting US first in a state where sports betting is not yet a year old was disclosed Monday.
The new service has been made possible through a deal struck between FanDuel and Switzerland’s Sportradar AG, Reuters reported.
It was finalized in NJ last week and the official announcement of it has been set for later today (Tuesday).
FanDuel is the current market leader of the 14 sportsbooks currently operating in New Jersey. It operates under the umbrella of the Irish international bookmaking giant Paddy Power Betfair PLC.
It is expected to kick-off its sports streaming service with European soccer and tennis before moving into US sports.
Punters will be able to watch and bet live on same screen
Punters will be able to see live odds and place bets on one part of their laptop, smartphone or tablet screens. This while watching a live stream on another part.
Not too long ago leading US sports leagues like the NFL and the MLB, would have opposed the move. But not any longer. The Supreme Court’s decision in May 2019 to end the PASPA law forbidding sports betting has been a mind changer.
Pro sport, especially, has discovered that legal and properly-regulated sports betting can have many benefits. Financial gain is one of them, but certainly not the biggest.
Since the PSAPA ouster, eight US states have legalized sports betting. In less than a year, the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL have found that betting has heightened the passion of their fans.
They now want to know more and see more about the sport they follow. FanDuel’s new streaming service will help them do that, this especially when it begins streaming US sport.
“We’re trying to build the most engaging and entertaining sports betting experience in the U.S.,” said Niall Connell, general manager of the sportsbook at FanDuel Group.
New service will be exclusive to New Jersey to start with
For starters, the service will only be available in New Jersey but FanDuel has expansion plans. As many as 30 US states are currently looking at sports betting.
As more and more legalize it, FanDuel plan to start spreading its wings and taking its streaming service with it.
Watching sport and betting on the same app is not new in Europe. The technical aspect of it will present no problem in New Jersey.
Streaming American favorites like football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey is another matter. It could take some time It won’t be possible without some tricky and time-consuming negotiation.
Meantime, Connell expects that streaming and betting 24/7 on sports like European soccer will significantly boost their popularity. His expectation is that wagers on them will double.
The financial terms of this non-exclusive agreement were not disclosed.