Living Betting is coming to NBA League Pass.
The league and Sportradar are partnering to allow bettors to place bets via apps through FanDuel and DraftKings Sportsbook in states where online sports gambling is legal.
NBA League Pass viewers can opt-in to the platform's betting view, which features point spreads, over-unders, and money line odds.
Bettors can select their picks in the app before being redirected to one of the online sportsbooks to place their bets. This initiative is powered by emBET, Sportradar's over-the-top (OTT) solution.
“emBET is an exciting innovation for NBA fans, making in-play betting even more engaging and immersive,” said Patrick Mostboec of Sportradar. “Through our exclusive partnership with the NBA, we are committed to developing next-generation value-added products and services like emBET to drive fan and bettor engagement.”
According to a joint press release from the NBA and Sportradar, the only bet types available at the start of the partnership are point spread, over-under and money line bets.
This means that there will be no over/under player prop bets on the platform at this time.
“emBET's integration aligns with the NBA's vision to create a highly personalized and customized viewing experience within NBA games,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, NBA Executive Vice President of Media and Gaming. said. “NBA fans who want to bet on live-action games can now choose to receive contextual betting information directly on NBA League Pass.”
This move marks another step for the NBA into the world of sports gambling.
The league advocated for banning gambling for decades, until Commissioner Adam Silver came out in support of legalizing and regulating sports betting in 2014.
Do you want to bet on the NBA?
The NBA has named FanDuel and DraftKings as official sports betting partners through 2021.
Four NBA arenas have physical sportsbooks inside their venues, including Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Footprint Center in Phoenix, Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and United Center in Chicago.
In January, the league's biggest star, LeBron James, announced that he would be partnering with DraftKings to provide NFL picks.
