IC360 was named the Best in Sports Betting by the Sports Business Journal. The other nominees included FanDuel, DraftKings, ESPN BET, and Genius Sports.
U.S. Integrity (Now IC360)
The company’s monitoring helped bring to light the betting incident involving the baseball coach at Alabama. U.S. Integrity announced a merger with Odds On Compliance in October and teamed with RealResponse on digital reporting tools. It partnered with the soon-to-launch TGL, the Big 12, SlamBall and others. It also was tapped by UFC to crack down on illegal betting (using the Prohibet product).
DraftKings
The company began turning a profit last year and passed FanDuel (briefly) in the third quarter for largest share of handle in the U.S. DraftKings launched a new streaming service and landed LeBron James as an ambassador, providing picks for NFL, college football and other non-NBA sporting events. It hired Marie Donoghue as chief business and growth officer (formerly at Amazon), as the company looks to expand its media reach. DraftKings’ deal with NASCAR gave it market access in North Carolina, and it opened sportsbooks at Wrigley Field and TPC Scottsdale.
ESPN Bet
ESPN’s collaboration with Penn National rolled out of the gate strong and was tripling the handle of predecessor Barstool Sportsbook in most states where it launched in November (started in 17 states). High-profile ESPN talent such as Scott Van Pelt and Elle Duncan signed on to be featured in ads. ESPN Bet bought WynnBet for market access in New York, and inked a deal with Quail Hollow Club (site of PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship) for North Carolina market access. It also became an NHL betting partner.
FanDuel
FanDuel maintained (for most of the year) its spot as the top sportsbook in terms of handle, as its parent company, Flutter, got listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company expanded in-play wagering options on the PGA Tour and established market access in North Carolina. FanDuel became co-exclusive sportsbook for MLB and brought former NFLer Rob Gronkowski back for Kick of Destiny 2 at Super Bowl LVIII. The brand also became NASCAR’s third official sportsbook.
Genius Sports
The company began integrating its BetVision product on more sportsbook apps to stream live games on those apps (Caesars, FanDuel and Fanatics use it). It rolled out the Dragon tracking system and other data-rich alternative streams for the Premier League, the NFL (on NFL+) and FIFA Women’s World Cup. FIBA added Genius’ Second Spectrum product for data. Genius also launched FanHub ID to help marketers and content owners build fan-based profiles.