Betting at the Ballpark? MLB and FanDuel Sportsbook Strike a Deal

Major League Baseball has struck yet another deal with a gaming operator. FanDuel and MLB have reached a multi-year deal that makes the sports betting giant an authorized gaming operator of Major League Baseball.

FanDuel joins DraftKings Sportsbook and MGM Resorts International as the three companies that are authorized gaming operators as of now.

What Does This Mean?

With this deal, FanDuel Sportsbook will get access to Major League Baseball’s official data feed, which is enormous. This grants FanDuel access to the most up-to-date, accurate, and new information straight from the source. This will help with in-game betting as well, as that is all about speed and accuracy.

In addition, it is allowed to use MLB team logos and such for their betting, gaming, and more. This includes Pennsylvania’s Valley Forge Casino and FanDuel Sportsbook‘s online betting application in Pennsylvania.

Being an official partner with MLB is a big deal in terms of validation. FanDuel can now say they are “partners with Major League Baseball”, which will certainly hold weight on television, radio, and other marketing avenues in digital media.

MLB Executive Vice President of Gaming Kenny Gersh was quoted:

“FanDuel has proven itself to be a leader in the sports betting space and has shifted a step ahead again through its commitment to, and recognition of, the value in being an authorized gaming operator.”

Times Are Changing

Bob Dylan once sang “For the times they are a-changin'”. That could not be more true after the recent slew of deals between MLB and legal sports betting operators.

Just a short time ago, all professional sports were against gambling. Now, three sports betting operators have deals with Major League Baseball. All of the leagues once demanded “integrity fees”, which is a story for another day, but that has yet to happen. Now we have official data agreements that are the foundation of this deal between FanDuel and MLB. MLB is happy, regulators are happy with an “official” feed, and PA online sportsbooks are happy with being able to market and use official logos and such.

It’s all about getting your “fair” share. Leagues were against gambling, but now they have some “skin in the game”. No matter what, gambling will help ratings, and in the end that’s all baseball wants!

Bet at the Ballpark

With this deal, FanDuel Sportsbook plans to boost their in-game baseball product given new options for up-to-date information. This is newsworthy because in-game betting is very popular as it accounts for more than 50% of the book’s business.

In Pennsylvania, this now means even more because there are two professional baseball teams in the state, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. In PA, you can bet on mobile devices and now with the updated in-game information and deals with the MLB, you can bet on your phone while at the games.

The President and COO of FanDuel Kip Levin stated:

“Baseball is one of the most popular sports to bet on and partnering with MLB allows us to make the betting experience even better for our customers.”

Now in Pennsylvania, you can go to a professional baseball game at a MLB stadium, watch the first inning, then pull out your phone to bet on the rest of the game’s result.

Do you think the Phillies will come back and win after being down four or five runs? Can you feel the momentum shifting at the ballpark? It just happened with Bryce Harper’s walk-off grand slam.

Now you can bet on it.