It’s becoming more common for sports TV channels to include sports gambling data during live game coverage, but Bally’s Corp. and Sinclair Broadcast Group see a lot of untapped territories that can be explored. Sinclair already began the process of rebranding its Fox Sports regional channels into Bally Sports as part of a naming rights deal from last year, and the new partnership is going to the next level. The partnership is going to start including more sports gambling data content on the regional channels, even when there are no games being covered, like Bally’s works more diligently on the launch of its Bally Bet sports gambling app.
Sports Gambling Coverage Takes Over
A press release issued by Bally’s yesterday indicates that the company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sinclair that will ultimately lead to a collaborative effort on the part of both companies to introduce Bally’s-produced content during non-game windows on the 19 regional sports networks (RSN) operated by Sinclair. How the coverage will be produced and broadcast isn’t explained; however, at the very least, it’s likely that sports and sports gambling data tickers will be seen on the channels.
Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim asserts, “We are pleased to further our transformative partnership with Sinclair by exploring opportunities for Bally’s to produce new and engaging content and interactive programming. We continue to seek innovative ways to allow fans to further engage with Bally’s brand, and are confident that the engagement opportunities we will create will elevate the live viewing experience in a manner not seen before. The gamification of live sports is the next phase of interactive gaming, and we look forward to continuing to create lean-in experiences for sports fans across the nation as our content strategy continues to expand.”
The content strategy is going to lead to a substantial expansion of Bally’s in the sports gambling ecosystem. In addition to being found on the RSNs, it could take a leading position on other Sinclair assets, such as the Tennis Channel and streaming platform Stadium, and its affiliates. This additional exposure is going to be a precursor to the launch of the Bally Bet sports gambling app, which could be introduced sometime this year.
Bally’s Continues Massive Transformation
Once operating in solely the casino space, Bally’s is now involved in a number of markets. It envisions a greater emphasis on digital operations moving forward and is now creating an interactive gaming division that will give it more flexibility. It has plans to focus more resources on daily fantasy sports and iGaming, in addition to its sports gambling initiatives, and recently completed the purchase of online sports gambling platforms Bet.Works and Monkey Knife Fight to support those plans.
Bally’s isn’t focusing only on the digital space, however. It already has 12 casinos across eight states and has others coming into the portfolio. It is negotiating the purchase of additional properties in Illinois and Indiana and is expected to complete the acquisitions before the end of this year.