News Roundup: What the Supreme Court’s Reversal of Sports-Betting Ban Could Mean for Sports-Media Industry (UPDATED 5/22/18)

Several sports entities are already preparing to take advantage of the ruling

In a landmark ruling on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports gambling, giving states the go-ahead to allow betting on sports. The 6-3 vote in favor of New Jersey in the case of Murphy vs. National Collegiate Athletic Association comes after nearly a decade of fighting to legalize sports gambling in the state. The ruling now opens the door for other states — including the 20 that signed on in support of New Jersey in the case — to legalize sports betting at racetracks and casinos.

The sports-media business stands to benefit immensely from the Supreme Court’s lifting the federal ban on sports gambling.

Widespread legalized gambling could have a monumental impact on the sports-media industry, especially on the production, distribution, and programming fronts. The demand for ultra-low-latency live streaming will only increase with the need to serve up-to-the-second results to sports-betting outlets. In addition, odds and other betting-centric analytics will likely be integrated into sports tickers and graphics within coverage. Also, networks and streaming outlets would likely launch betting-focused studio shows and other programming, as well as incorporate betting-specific analysis more often into existing programming.

The impact on ratings could also be substantial, with more betting-focused viewers tuning in to tentpole events whether or not they’re fans of the teams competing. Even niche sports events could see an increase in viewership as legalized betting creates new interest in lesser-known sports.

The Supreme Court’s decision has wide-ranging effects on the sports-media industry, and there is a lot to process. So SVG has created a roundup of some of the most important analysis:

UPDATE WITH MORE LINKS (5/22/18):

• Now it’s real.’ So what now? States, sports look to pounce on legal betting (SBJ)
• Roger Goodell wants Congress to create uniform betting standards (ESPN)
• The NBA’s and MLB’s challenge in convincing states to award s sports betting integrity or rights fee (Forbes)
• Players unions join battle over publicity rights in potential sports-betting preview (WSJ)
• Sports betting legalization: How we got here (ESPN)
• What to expect from five crucial corners of the sports business – teams, leagues, networks, colleges, and unions. (SBJ)
• How legal sports betting could benefit the pro leagues (Fortune)
• This is how much money sports betting is expected to bring NJ (NJ.com)
• How legalizing sports betting will impact the $4.8B industry (Rolling Out)
• Will Supreme Court gambling ruling drive up team values? It’s anyone’s bet (SBJ)

UPDATE WITH MORE LINKS (5/18/18):

• Scott Van Pelt says gambling programming will expand because “everyone’s got way more hours than they’ve got good content”. (Awful Announcing)
• DraftKings’ fastest-growing fantasy game category last year was esports. (CNBC)
• Esports gambling officials are ready for it to be legal (Kotaku)
• In addition to media companies, Facebook and the esports industry could be in for a revenue boom due to the Supreme Court’s decision (Investors Business Daily)
• NCAA to allow championship events in states with sports gambling (USA Today)
• A look at the losers from the Supreme Court sports betting case, including sports leagues, states that dawdled, lower federal courts, and illegal bookmakers. (Legal Sports Report)

ORIGINAL LINKS (5/15/18): 

• Major League Baseball, NBA, NFL, and NHL issued statements on the decision. And the PGA Tour is teeing up options for legalized sports betting, from fees it could charge to monitor the process to safeguards on the type of bets that would be allowed.
• The ruling is likely to be a much-needed shot in the arm for the sports television industry, as it struggles with an onslaught of competition from streaming services, video games, social networks and mobile phones; increasing rights costs and decreasing ratings; and the continued degradation of the advertising market. (NY Times)
• Here are five predictions for how the expansion of legalized sports betting might affect sports broadcasting. (Awful Announcing)
• How the Supreme Court’s decision on sports betting may influence ESPN’s programming (Adweek)
• The Vegas Stats and Information Network — founded last year by legendary broadcaster Brent Musburger and his nephew, Brian Musberger — is already prepping for the upcoming windfall of gambling action. (NJ.com)
• Why the NFL stopped seeing gambling as a threat—and started to see a windfall (Wall Street Journal)
• Here’s a breakdown of what states are likely to lift the ban on gambling next, starting with West Virginia, Mississippi, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. (The Big Lead via Sports Handle)
• There could be 32 states offering legal sports betting within five years. And virtually no one will be ready for this amount of supply. (Recode)
• Expect legalized sports betting to create a new media monster. (OZY)
• Here are the five biggest winners (including sports networks and media companies) that stand to benefit from the Supreme Court’s ruling. (Forbes)
• Following the court’s decision, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said he will introduce new sports-gambling legislation. (The Hill)
• A major-league sports team executive met with the owner of a bookmaker last week to pitch sponsorship opportunities (NY Post).
• Here is why New Jersey won its Supreme Court battle to legalize sports betting. (SI)
• As a result of the ruling, gamblers in New Jersey may be able to legally wager on this year’s NBA Finals. (Sporting News)
• Sports betting opens up a world of thrills without team loyalty. (NY Post)
• Monumental Sports owner Ted Leonis has his own thoughts on what the decision means for the industry. (Buffalo News)
• West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has announced tentative agreement to incorporate an “integrity fee” into the state’s new sports-betting law. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• MLB has been willing to discuss a lower integrity fee, including as low as 0.25%. Expect all sports leagues to argue that they are providing the product and, therefore, deserve a cut of any profit made off that product. (CBSSports.com)