What is the future of professional golf? An announcement from the PGA Tour headquarters has made some interesting revelations. The growing links between the sport and the gambling industry will see the content of television coverage change.
It was announced that during PGA Tour coverage on NBC, Golf Channel, and Peacock, there will be live betting odds supplied by PointsBet. This will begin in January 2022 and sees an extension of the current deal with the PGA.
This is a big move forward for sports betting and its links with golf. The gambling industry in the USA has seen many changes with an increasing number of states legalizing gambling. Before a ruling made by a US Supreme Court judge in 2018, gambling in many states was illegal.
Since that ruling, individual states have been able to decide whether or not to legalize gambling. Many have done so and it’s easy to see why this is the case. It all of course comes down to money.
There are millions of dollars in the world of sports betting. August of this year saw $427 million recorded for sports betting in New Jersey. That was an increase of $100 million when compared to August 2020. This year has seen that state collect $2.99 billion in sports betting revenue.Â
The future for sports betting is no longer uncertain. It seems inevitable that there will be closer link between sports and the gambling industry. But what will this look like in the future?
Last month saw an experiment with PointsBet offering live odds during the Fortinet Championship shown on NBC Sports. This it seems is the future of the sport and operators like PointsBet will be looking to get in on the action and tie up partnerships with tournament organisers.
Those who have placed bets will of course be interested in the showing of odds. Anything can happen in golf and the odds will constantly be changing.Â
However, those who haven’t placed any bets won’t have any interest but it’s not going to ruin their enjoyment of the sport. Nor will there be pressure put on them to suddenly start gambling on golf.
There may be some concerns over the growing links. For years, sports were against betting being legalized. They feared that the integrity of their sport might be in danger if betting was allowed.Â
Now that gambling is being legalized in many states, the links are growing. Other sports such as the NFL and NBA are signing lucrative deals, so why not golf? As long as authorities do their best to ensure players don’t break gambling rules then all should be fine.
The potential earnings from sponsorship deals are way too high to ignore. Jordan Speith has a lucrative agreement with FanDuel, and more players are likely to follow down this route.
If the money the PGA receives is then reinvested in the sport, then that will be good to see. The process of signing deals will be a gradual one. Those who watch the sport throughout the year will have to get used to the new betting-related coverage.
