Lacrosse is the latest entrant into the sports betting world thanks to a new deal with the Genius Sports Group.
The agreement will see the technology company become the official data and integrity partner for the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL).
What is the PLL?
The PLL was formed in 2019 as a competitor to the more established Major League Lacrosse and National Lacrosse League.
The Chernin Group is a significant investor in the PLL, which could help explain the league’s support of gambling. The company is also behind The Action Network and owns a stake in Barstool Sports. The former is a content site with a focus on betting; about a third of Barstool was sold to Penn National Gaming earlier this year to serve as its sports betting brand across the country.
The PLL also takes a modern approach to media. The league open-sources the highlights, allowing players to use them and try to build their own brands.
How will Genius work with the PLL?
Genius Sports will provide a range of live betting markets on the PLL to the US and its global partners. It will also monitor betting activity for suspicious patterns.
Mark Locke, the CEO of Genius Sports Group, said the PLL was aiming to deliver “the ultimate digital fan experience” with the help of sports wagering.
Genius has a similar deal in place with NASCAR, which appears to be bearing fruit even without real racing.
Unique opportunity for lacrosse
The PLL is aiming to fill a gap in the sports calendar with a two-week quarantined and fanless tournament from July 25 through Aug. 9 on NBC.
As part of its sports betting push, the league has brought in two sports betting advisors in the form of Sara Slane and A.G. Burnett.
Slane previously served as vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association (AGA), while Burnett was chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and is currently a gaming attorney.
PLL co-founder and CEO Mike Rabil said that embracing sports betting would help improve the overall fan experience.
It’s not the first time a new sports league has looked to betting to help its growth. That approach may have been working out for the XFL before the coronavirus cut the experiment short.
