American wagering giants have been offered the rights to stream NRL matches on their platforms as part of a solution to capture a slice of the country’s exploding betting market.
As the NRL tries to sew up a deal with an overseas betting partner after the historic season-opening matches in Las Vegas, the game’s pursuit of a new gambling dollar has included offers of a package to provide vision and odds for rugby league’s transition into the States.
The practice is commonplace in Australian racing codes. Races are shown on the websites and apps of the major bookmakers and punters can bet while watching each event.
It’s far more unusual for sporting bodies to consider offering or selling their vision to oddsmakers, but the NRL has opened talks with American wagering companies about an all-encompassing solution to lower overheads.
The matches would be streamed at abnormal hours for American punters, but the ease of access is considered crucial to attracting a new market.
The NRL’s season-opening double-header generated an average audience of just 61,000 for the season’s first match between Manly and South Sydney on cable network Fox Sports 1.
Manly’s Reuben Garrick scores in Las Vegas during the NRL’s season-opening double-header.Credit: NRL Photos
Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo want to grow that market in future years, starting with three-time defending champions Penrith, who are poised to lead the four teams in Las Vegas next year.
The NRL’s bookmaker offering, according to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to discuss the talks publicly, could also include form and odds as part of a revenue share agreement in which the governing body and its preferred partner split earnings.
Melbourne Storm chairman and gambling pioneer Matt Tripp said it was crucial the NRL made it as easy as possible for a new wagering partner unfamiliar with the sport.
“You bundle up vision, all your content, all your form, odds and you give these bookies a turnkey [a product that is ready for immediate use] solution,” Tripp said.
“They have to show every game live on their app and say, ‘we’ll give you all the form and content you need and we’ll do a revenue share agreement’. That might be 50-50, but they would write bets.
“Speaking from experience, if you’ve got critical mass with operations like [US betting companies] FanDuel and DraftKings then you can get people interested.
“The NRL has to do all the heavy lifting and serve it up on a platter. It needs to be a genuine partnership with a joint venture. I think it’s a simple model executed in other parts of the world.”
American bookmakers such as FanDuel do not currently pay product fees to major US sports including the NFL and NBA, but the NRL’s ascent to a business with an annual revenue of $700 million has partly been grown local oddsmakers paying a tax for betting on matches.
The move comes as the NRL made its most significant hire to bed-down its long-term American strategy with former Tabcorp executive John Vellis offered a permanent role to drive the Las Vegas venture.
Vellis had worked in recent months in a temporary capacity to help V’landys and Abdo pull off its double-header at Allegiant Stadium, the home of this year’s Super Bowl, but will now join head office on a permanent basis.
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