People apparently want to wager on pickleball, and sports betting sites keep getting approved to offer it in more and more jurisdictions.
Regulators of Massachusetts sports betting are the latest watchdogs to allow wagering on pickleball within their state's borders. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) on Thursday approved the sport for inclusion in the Bay State’s legal sports betting catalog, at the request of FanDuel.
FanDuel specifically asked for and received approval to offer its customers wagering on matches sanctioned by the Professional Pickleball Association, namely, the PPA Tour.
“Tournaments are conducted around the US in a similar way to the ATP/WTA Tennis tours,” the petition says, adding that total prize money awarded this year is budgeted at US$5.3 million.
A bit of a pickle
FanDuel told the MGC that the PPA Tour is approved for wagering without restrictions in the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as Connecticut, Louisiana, Illinois, Wyoming, Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado, Maryland, and Washington. It is also awaiting approval from regulators in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Arizona, the sportsbook operator said.
Pickleball itself is a sport that is growing in popularity, which likely accounts for the increased interest in offering betting markets to sportsbook users.
“Pickleball is huge,” MGC Commissioner Brad Hill said during Thursday’s meeting. “I can't go to any tennis court in my area anymore without there being some type of a pickleball, whether it's my friends in the senior center or just the new-and-improved sport that's been picked up by many.”
But convincing regulators takes some doing for an up-and-coming sport like pickleball. With concern about the integrity of events running high at the moment, the PPA Tour has highlighted that its players are subject to a sports betting and integrity policy, for which it has hired well-known monitoring firm Sportradar for help.
The MGC also heard Thursday that commission staffers were unable to find any major incidents or scandals surrounding the sport or the PPA Tour (although commissioners did seek clarity about why other states had yet to approve the sport for wagering and whether that was connected to the ongoing integrity work with Sportradar).
Here's a new one: sports betting sites in 10 states and the Canadian province of Ontario can now offer wagering on Professional Pickleball Association Tour events:https://t.co/YJ413CG6rt pic.twitter.com/EMOWqODCdg
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) August 24, 2023
Meanwhile, the PPA Tour said Thursday it has become "the first-ever pickleball organization available on the sports betting market," and that its events are available for wagering via FanDuel in 10 states and Ontario. Technology company Genius Sports Ltd. will provide data and live video feeds to bookmakers to let bettors watch and wager on events in real-time, the PPA Tour added.
“At launch, bettors will be able to watch the live action while placing wagers on different betting markets such as match winners, correct match scores, total points (over/under) and head-to-head,” a press release said. “The PPA Tour expects all major U.S. sportsbooks to host pickleball gambling upon receiving approval in additional states.”
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