In late October, Sportradar and FanDuel announced a partnership with the NBA that will extend well into the next decade.
Basically, the tech company will be providing the sportsbook with data about the sports company. Nothing to see here.
The deal, which includes both data and betting services, takes the partnership into the prime of Bronny James' career.
(via @jeffedelstein)https://t.co/LWeTSXPA3X
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) October 26, 2022
But the following was also noted in the press release hyping the deal: βSportradar and FanDuel will collaborate to enhance the sports betting experience through innovative products and offerings including, for the first time, the use of certain player tracking data to create props and support the growth of same game parlays.β
While that sounds lovely β after all, who doesnβt want more and varied props (and, sure, more and varied same game parlays) β there is a potential darker side to this.Β
βYouβre creating an asymmetry in the market, creating an imbalance where one side of the market β the side that sets prices β has information the other side β the bettors β doesn’t have. This fundamentally changes the dynamic of the market, and to me, that is absurd.β
Those are the words of John Holden, a sports law professor at Oklahoma State University and outspoken critic of the β to him β unholy marriage between data companies, the leagues they service, and the sportsbooks.
βI don’t have an issue with player tracking data being sold if it’s available to everyone,β Holden said. βIf thereβs a way Basketball Reference can put the information out there, then go for it. At this point, though, if weβre going to sell proprietary information to just one side of the market, then weβre moving into carnival game territory and not a functional market.
βThink of it like this,β Holden continued. βIf a bookmaker gets the NFL injury report but no one else has it, would you bet on a game this weekend? Of course not.β
What kind of data?
It begs the question: Just what kind of data, exactly, will be offered here?
Getting that answer was not easy.
Industry Leaders Sportradar and FanDuel Sign Long-Term Agreement for Official NBA Data Through 2030-31 Seasonhttps://t.co/Ow6IDU8OnD
— Alfonso Straffon π¨π·πΊπΈπ²π½ (@astraffon) October 26, 2022
Representatives at FanDuel did not return emails asking about the data, but sources with knowledge of the deal were able to shed some light on what the future potentially holds for FanDuel β and any other sportsbook that purchases Sportradarβs NBA data. The data will be gathered by optical tracking, not wearable tech.Β
βTheyβll be tracking a set of x and y coordinates, those dots are moving here, those dots are moving there, and weβll be able to derive new stats for the sportsbooks to use,β one source said.
This data is not necessarily new; the NBA has been using cameras to track players, and teams have used the data for analytical purposes. The data has also been used by broadcast networks.
βBut itβs never been made available to sportsbooks before,β another source said.
‘Less than ideal’
βIt is asymmetric information that exists but is not available to bettors but is available to operators. Seems less than ideal for maintaining fair markets,β said professional gamblerΒ Captain Jack Andrews. βIn practicality, itβs esoteric data, but it creates a precedent that isnβt healthy. If the leagues want fair betting markets β which they say they do β then they shouldnβt encourage this behavior.β
But not everyone thinks this is A) the plan or B) the intention.
βThe whole point of this is weβre striving to create a balanced playing field for all participants,β a source with knowledge said. βItβs not about creating confusion or a dynamic where the bettor is at a disadvantage beyond whatβs inherent to begin with.β
Holden agrees with that β but only to a point.
βI understand a bookie knows more about betting than I do, thatβs his job, but I donβt want to bet against someone who knows that this guy is already maxed out, that he ran this much slower today than he usually does, which tells me heβs clearly hurt or exhausted,β Holden said. βIf the bookie has that information and I donβt, Iβm at a huge disadvantage. If Steph Curry isnβt playing tonight, thatβs big news. But if Steph Curry shouldnβt be playing tonight, thatβs even bigger news.β