Genius Sports Group Wins Bid For NFL Sports Betting Data

• The NFL has a new sports betting data partner, dropping SportsRadar.
• They partnered with Genius Sports Group, which now has the rights to NFL data.
• GSG can sell that exclusive data to media companies as well as sportsbooks.

LAS VEGAS - The NFL has changed sports betting data partners, in a move that surprised the online sports betting industry.

They are now partnered with Genius Sports Group, which gives Genius the right to NFL exclusive betting data, which they can then sell to oddsmakers and sportsbooks.

Genius will also be able to provide that information to media companies, both inside and outside of the US.

Kevin LaForce, the Senior NFL VP for Media Strategy, issued a statement on the partnership.

“We’re excited to welcome Genius Sports to the NFL family,” LaForce said. “We look forward to working with Genius as we continue to innovate and enhance NFL content on media and betting platforms.”

Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports Group, also issued a statement emphasizing how happy Genius are with the partnership.

“Genius is proud and delighted to partner exclusively with the NFL to establish a new era of digital fan engagement for professional sports leagues everywhere,” said Locke. “Our technology leads the world in the convergence of official data, betting, streaming, and digital media and we are excited to bring our unique capabilities to the world’s preeminent sports league.”

It should not be lost on anyone that this deal comes only a week after David Levy was named as the new chairman of Genius Sports Group.

Levy has a great deal of experience in partnering with major sports leagues, having worked as the President of Turner Broadcasting.

Levy’s statement at the time he joined seems prescient in the context of the new deal with the NFL:

"The capture and analysis of data has become fundamental to the rapid progression of the sports and media sectors,” said Levy. “Genius is central to this unique ecosystem and is consistently leading the sports data and technology industry's development. I am thrilled to join the business at such a historic time and look forward to working as part of the team."

This certainly seems like a coup for Levy, Locke, and the team at Genius Sports Group.