Sports League ‘Cats’ And Sportsbook ‘Dogs’: How They Wound Up Working Together

by John Brennan, USBETS

The euphoria in the U.S. legal gaming expansion community when the Supreme Court opened the sports betting door to all states last year soon gave way to several leagues raising their hands and seeking money from sportsbooks.

“Integrity fee,” “royalty,” “official data” — by any name, the sportsbooks were repelled by the notion that they be forced to divert a portion of their revenues from a low-margin business.

Fast-forward more than a year, and one sports betting operator after another is announcing partnerships with one league or another. So what changed? And how and why? That was the topic at one of the key panels at Sports Betting USA in Manhattan this week.

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