Though LIV Golf has merged with the PGA Tour, it still remains an outsider with legalized U.S. sportsbooks. That could be changing, however.
Simplebet, which specializes in in-play micro-betting markets, recently announced a partnership with LIV. It will be the league’s Official Sports Betting Innovation Partner.
“This is a transcendent moment for the sport and we are thrilled to serve as the Official Sports Betting Innovation Partner of LIV Golf,” said Simplebet CEO Chris Bevilacqua in a statement. “We’ve revolutionized the way audiences around the world connect with live sports by unlocking fan engagement opportunities and together with LIV Golf, we will create the new blueprint for how sports leagues can maximize their IP through innovative betting.”
Unlike traditional sports betting, which primarily focuses on end totals and outcomes, micro-bettting allows players to wager on incremental events that take place throughout the course of a match or event. For example, the Simplebet partnership will allow LIV bettors to wager on specific hole outcomes, if a player’s drive reaches the fairway and other such one-off actions.
The company already has partnerships with Caesars, Bet365, DraftKings and others.
“Developing new ways that golf can progress into the future has been a league tenet since day one,” said Greg Norman, LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO. “LIV Golf presents a supercharged tournament and fan experience showcasing a consistent field of the world’s best players competing at the same time under the same conditions. With golf becoming an increasingly popular sport within the multi-billion-dollar sports betting market, our league is proud to work with Simplebet which aligns with our competition model that every shot from every player is meaningful, from start to finish.”
It still may be an uphill battle, however, to get the controversial, Saudi-backed golf organization into mainstream sportsbooks.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) rejected an application on July 11 by DraftKings to add LIV Golf to its betting menu.
MGC Sports Wagering Operations Commissioners cited several reasons for turning down the application, including its support from the Saudi Arabia government, which has been accused of several human rights violations.
“For a lot of the reasons that are in the press in terms of the financial backing of the LIV league, to me, I’d feel uncomfortable putting this in our catalog, even as a LIV free-standing [option], notwithstanding the DOJ investigation of the merger,” Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said, according to WBUR.
“I, too, am not comfortable putting this in our catalog right now with all the controversy that surrounds it,” added Commissioner Brad Hill.
