NFL, Genius Sports Unveil Stream & Bet Platform
Genius Sports launched a new BetVision platform on Tuesday, officially unveiling a first-of-its-kind product that the sports betting data provider is touting as an immersive sports wagering experience for NFL bettors.
The platform, according to Genius, brings together live streaming with integrated bet slips and statistical insights within a single interactive player. Genius Sports is the gatekeeper of the NFL’s official sports betting data feed, and the company also serves as the NFL’s exclusive distributor of real-time statistics and data to media companies and sportsbook operators.
Upon initial launch, Caesars Sportsbook,Fanatics, and BetRivers will be the first sportsbooks to go live with the platform on mobile and tablet devices. Fanatics ran a testing phase of the bet-and-watch product for approximately two weeks before Tuesday’s launch.
“We’re very pleased to be Genius’ first BetVision content partner as they continue to be on the cutting edge of sports betting experiences,” said Brent Lawton, who serves as vice president of business development and strategic investments for the NFL. “BetVision allows us to create a differentiated way for fans to engage with NFL content.”
Bettors can place wagers on the platform for a minimum of 10 cents, an industry source told Sports Handle. If you want to watch the feed, you have to place some sort of bet. Pre-game wagers, in-game bets, parlays, and props will be allowed on the platform.
Less is more with low latency
As in-game betting becomes normalized in the U.S. gambling landscape, bettors have flocked to mobile sportsbooks with the quickest in-play updates.
In sports betting parlance, latency is defined as the difference from when a play ends in real time versus the instant it is updated on a wagering platform. Introduced in the first quarter of 2022, a series of “lightning bets” from PointsBet carried sub-second latency for in-game wagering. Since then, other sportsbooks have bolstered their in-game capabilities through improved technology.
Across the industry, however, one of the most difficult challenges has been in synching a robust streaming platform with an ultra-fast in-game betting platform. The inherent challenges with latency have slowed the proliferation of the second-screen viewing experience, NBC Sports executive Mark Lazarus told Sports Handle last December.
Earlier that month, Genius and the NFL rolled out a pilot program for the streaming product with Caesars. Through the pilot, the sportsbook offered a Watch & Bet option for select NFL games. Although the latency proved to be fairly low in some instances, the product lacked consistency, an industry expert told Sports Handle.
When the executive tracked the latency, he expressed disappointment with the product’s higher-than-expected lag time on several occasions. The new incarnation, according to another industry source, is dramatically improved when it comes to latency.
A new era of immersion
Over the first month of the season, Amazon Prime has offered an alternative live broadcast for Thursday Night Football, replete with analytics from the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
During the regular season, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is collecting more than 300 million data points in an attempt to help fans understand the game better, according to Julie Souza, who serves as head of Sports, Global Professional Services at AWS. Each broadcast contains at least seven artificial intelligence features that may enhance the viewing experience for consumers, including a live graphic that approximates the probability that a quarterback will face pressure on a given dropback.
An astute bettor can use the metrics to inform their wagering decisions throughout a game. For instance, when Minnesota Vikings returner Brandon Powell fumbled a first-quarter punt in Week 2 against the Eagles, the Vikings’ win probability, according to Next Gen Stats, decreased by 10.7%. But when Vikings safety Theo Jackson intercepted Jalen Hurts on the subsequent drive, the Vikings’ probability for a victory rebounded by 6.1%.
Amazon Prime will also embed the probability that a kicker will make a field goal with an on-screen graphic as the kick sails through the air. Eagles kicker Jake Elliott defied the odds when he connected on a 61-yard field goal with no time remaining in the second quarter against Minnesota.
Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke indicated that the BetVision launch combines the company’s capabilities across data tracking, video streaming, live data, and sports wagering to create a differentiated experience for bettors.
“Sports fans and bettors alike increasingly demand personalized interaction, greater customization, and deeper insights, combined with an ability to strike a bet seamlessly,” said Locke in the statement. “BetVision, alone, offers precisely that, while giving sportsbooks a new way to drive engagement and accelerate the growth of in-game betting.”
