Iowa sports betting customers looking to watch NFL games now have a new option thanks to a deal announced earlier this week between Genius Sports and a couple of sports betting operators in the Hawkeye State.
Genius Sports is a technology company that provides streaming services, integrity monitoring and data management to sports leagues, gaming operators and media outlets. That includes being the exclusive provider of NFL official data and livestream video feeds to licensed sportsbooks.
On Tuesday, Genius Sports announced its BetVision product, a low-latency livestreaming service, would be available to Caesars Sportsbook — and Caesars Iowa — along with BetRivers and Fanatics for NFL games this season. Through BetVision, bettors who wager on an available NFL game will be able to watch the game from a participating Iowa sports betting app. The service will also provide in-game wagering alerts and special offers during game breaks.
Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke said his company’s product is ushering in a new era of “immersive sports experiences” for football bettors.
“The launch brings together our capabilities across data tracking, video streaming, live data and sports wagering to create a game-changing product for sportsbooks,” Locke said. “Sports fans and bettors alike increasingly demand personalized interaction, greater customization and deeper insights combined with an ability to strike a bet seamlessly. BetVision alone offers precisely that while giving sportsbooks a new way to drive engagement and accelerate the growth of in-game betting.”
Reducing Latency Could Increase In-Game Betting
Since sports betting has expanded across the country over the past five years, licensed online operators who power Iowa betting apps have been promoting in-game betting, also known as microbetting, as a growth opportunity for the industry. One of the problems, though, is latency, or the delay between an event happening in real-time and when it’s broadcasted to viewers. For fans watching sporting events on streaming services, like YouTube TV, the delay can be 45 seconds or more. That significantly can reduce the time bettors have to bet on the outcome of the next play.
Low latency streaming feeds have been available for a while — think of services like Zoom, for example — but they have not made their way to broadcast platforms. BetVision will allow NFL fans who want to wager on plays and drives to have a better experience while watching the game.
“We’re very pleased to be Genius’ first BetVision content partner as they continue to be on the cutting edge of sports betting experiences,” said Brent Lawton, the NFL’s vice president for business development and strategic investments. “BetVision allows us to create a differentiated way for fans to engage with NFL content.”
Caesars Among Top Iowa Sportsbooks
For Iowa bettors, BetVision games will be available through BetRivers Iowa and Caesars, both of which are licensed by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. Fanatics is not yet available in the state, but it’s in the process of acquiring PointsBet, which is operating in Iowa.
Caesars, which had a similar arrangement for select games with Genius Sports at the end of last season, is the No. 3 operator in Iowa. It reported an online handle of $357.8 million for the 2022-23 fiscal year, which ended in June. Only DraftKings at $661.8 million and FanDuel at $452.3 million took more wagers online. BetRivers reported a handle of nearly $50 million last fiscal year, while PointsBet took $45.9 million in wagers over the same span. In all, Iowans placed more than $2.02 billion in wagers online in the previous fiscal year.
