The Premier Lacrosse League, which last week said it would stage a quarantined 16-day tournament, is getting into the sports betting business.
The PLL has entered into a partnership with Genius Sports, which becomes the league’s official data and integrity partner for sports betting.
As part of the agreement Genius, which has deals with the NBA, NCAA and FIBA, the governing body for international basketball, will provide sportsbook operators in the U.S. and globally with a host of live betting data.
Genius, which counts the English Premier League, PGA and LPGA Tours as integrity partners, will also help the PLL to protect itself from betting-related corruption.
PLL Co-Founder Mike Rabil said it was a “landmark day’’ for the second-year league, which opted for a 16-day quarantined tournament after delaying its regular season because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The PLL fan experience just got better,’’ Rabil said.
Almost all sports leagues see live betting as a way to drive engagement with fans at a time when traditional sports TV viewing is falling.
The PLL’s tournament is scheduled for July 25-Aug. 9 in what would’ve been the Tokyo Olympics window for NBC. The Olympics were postponed a year because of the virus. NBC is the PLL’s broadcast partner.
Former American Gaming Association executive Sara Slane, and gaming attorney A.G. Burnett are advising the PLL.
Scott Soshnick is the editor-in-chief of Sportico, Penske Media’s new sports business platform.