What Is The Potential For Online Sports Betting On The NBA



The growth potential for online sports betting on the NBA is virtually limitless, although when that will entail US-owned and operated – virtual sportsbooks remains to be seen.

Betting on the National Basketball Association (NBA) is very big business, as each year billions of dollars are wagered on this fast and dynamic sport within the United States at land and online sportsbooks in the United States and beyond.

This also means the growth potential for online sports betting on the NBA is virtually limitless, although when that will entail US-owned and operated – virtual sportsbooks remains to be seen.

The NBA online betting cause did, however, receive a big shot in the arm in May 2018, when the United States Supreme Court issued a decision effectively ending the federal ban on state authorization of sports betting. That monumental decision opened the way for the individual states to allow sports betting.

Currently, the 13 US states with legalized and operational sports betting.

They are Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. This year (2019) Illinois, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Tennessee also legalized sports betting, while Maine also passed a pro-sports betting bill (which should be implemented in 2020).

NBA Partnered With MGM Resorts in July 2018
It didn’t go unnoticed when at the end of July 2018 the NBA became the first major U.S. sports league to partner up with a sportsbook operator, albeit a land-based one.

As part of the lucrative $25 million 3-year agreement between MGM Resorts and the NBA, the former became an ‘authorized gaming operator of the NBA’ with the right to use the NBA team and league logos and marks; to access the official NBA data feed; and become the “official gaming partner” of the NBA and WNBA.

While the $25 million deal is considered chump change to the NBA (it after all generated over $8 billion in 2018 through television contracts, merchandising, sponsorships, and ticket sales) its true value exceeds its financial one. The deal allowed the NBA to benefit from a brand new stream of users that can access its official data feed.

NBA Inks Deal with The Stars Group In Late 2018

Then, in mid-December 2018, the NBA signed a second multi-year deal with large sports betting outfit The Stars Group Inc. The deal also gave the latter the right to use the NBA’s data feed and team and league logos across its digital sports betting offerings.

Later that same month the NBA signed a third multi-year deal with another sportsbook FanDuel which allowed it also to become an authorized NBA gaming operator while continuing as the NBA and WNBA’s “official daily fantasy partner.”

NBA Signs Deal with William Hill in October 2019
Then as recently as October 2019, leading UK-based land and online sportsbook William Hill became only the fourth gambling firm to partner with the NBA when it too signed a deal with the premier American basketball organization that will give it access to its league and team marks and logos and the NBA data feed.

William Hill can use said data feed on its sportsbooks across the United States as well as on its mobile betting apps, while the NBA will benefit by adding one of the world’s oldest and largest sports betting concerns to its portfolio.

This latest sports betting ‘tie-up’ has yet again cemented the NBA as the leading major US sports franchise in terms of recognizing the many advantages of aligning itself with the legalized and regulated sports betting market.

William Hill has had a presence in the state of Nevada since 2012 where it has over 110 retail sportsbooks alone. It also has physical outlets in various other states as well as an online presence in several, other US areas.

Just Four Sports Betting-Friendly States are Home to NBA Teams
Interestingly, only four out of America’s 50 states where sports betting is currently allowed permitted house professional basketball teams – Indiana, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

Sadly, almost a third of the NBA’s 30 franchises are in California, Florida, and Texas, all three of which are in no real hurry to regulate sports betting. But that hasn’t stopped the NBA from continually striving to make.

According to recent reports, the NBA is seriously considering making some changes to the protocols that determine its lineup submission.

These changes reportedly include mandating that all NBA team lineups must be shared with opposing team coaches and the media between 30 and 60 minutes before game time (as opposed to the current requirement of 10 minutes). The aim of this is to give sports betting fans more time to formulate their betting strategies and place their bets.

NBA Online Betting Growth is Just a Matter of Time
As to the question of how the future online sports betting fits in with NBA’s current betting initiatives, the short answer is – expect big changes any day soon.

Changes to the US gambling landscape have always famously taken place at a snail’s pace, but with an increasing number of U.S. and global sports betting fans switching over to online and/or mobile betting, something has to give sooner than later.
An increasing number of U.S. states have recognized that by licensing and regulating online gambling within their borders, they can create a safer gaming environment for punters and top up their coffers through the licensing and taxation of i-gaming.

Best Basketball Themed Online Slots
While researching this article, we came across another form of NBA online gambling that is alive and well and attracts players from all over the world – basketball-themed online slots. That’s how we found this page and the following pair of no deposit slot extravaganzas.

The first B-ball-themed game that grabbed our eye is Basketball Star from Microgaming. With its engaging graphics and high-paying features – like Wilds, Free Spins, Multipliers and Scatters – this 5 reel, 3 row, and 243-ways-to-win video slot is a real slam dunk.

The next basketball video slot on the roster is Money Shot from WGS. This game has a more animal cartoon basketball vibe, but with its 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 paylines is just as fun and entertaining as the slot above. It too has lots of Bonuses, Free Spins, Scatters and Wilds that can send your winnings into orbit.

This article is a reprint from FadeawayWorld.com.  To view the original story and comment, click here


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