Pickleball has launched as an official betting product in ten states as of late last week, following an announcement by the Professional Pickleball Association Tour.
The betting offering is bolstered by an official data product in partnership with Genius Sports. Genius Sports will provide data and live video feeds to all sportsbooks who wish to offer Pickelball products, as well as other online outlets and media.
The partnership promises a variety of betting markets such as:
- Match winners
- Correct match scores
- Total points (over/under)
- Head-to-head
- In-play betting
As revealed last week when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved the PPA Tour into its sports betting catalog, FanDuel has permission to act on the tour’s behalf when seeking legalization on a state-by-state basis. It was FanDuel’s contact with the MGC during a lunch-break on integrity related issues that saw pickleball wagering over the line in MA.
Integrity is at the forefront of regulatory decisions, especially when it comes to deciding the sports betting catalog. The PPA Tour has announced that all professionals are subject to the new “PPA Tour Sports Betting and Integrity Policy.” This applies to all staff, officials and players who will have to complete online training created in partnership with Sportradar. The training will have a focus on betting integrity, player wellbeing and processes for safeguarding players.
Pickleball fans can now wager on the sport in the following jurisdictions:
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Tennessee
- Washington
- Wyoming
In addition, a decision on pickleball sports betting is pending in New Jersey, Arizona and Pennsylvania. FanDuel asserted that pickleball betting in New Jersey, Arizona and PA is only pending due to time issues, rather than fundamental issues with the proposals put forward.
“This is a monumental moment for the PPA Tour and the game of pickleball as a whole,” PPA Tour Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe commented in a release. “We are excited to be paving the way in the pickleball sports betting space, and we couldn’t be prouder to lead the sport’s leap into such an innovative industry. The immense growth of pickleball over the past few years has driven widespread interest in all aspects of the game, including playing as amateurs and watching the professionals in person at events and from home. Our venture into sports betting will bring a whole new level of engagement from current and new fans, and we continue to be excited for what the future holds for our sport.”
Sean Conroy, Executive Vice President of North America at Genius Sports added: “Creating an official data-powered betting product for pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in America, is a crucial platform for the PPA Tour to engage new and existing fans.”
He added: “We’re excited to offer sportsbooks with valuable new content including low latency video feeds on PPA Tour events, starting with this weekend’s Vulcan Kansas City Open.”