Genius Sports, the international sports data technology company, has agreed a long-term partnership with gaming company Penn Interactive to provide data and fan engagement solutions for its Barstool Sportsbook, which it runs for Barstool Sports, the US-based sports and pop culture platform.
Genius will provide data from both US and international sports leagues and will work on acquisition, engagement and long-term retention for the online sportsbooks, which Penn currently runs in nine US states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and New Jersey.
Amongst the data provided are exclusive feeds for English soccer’s top-tier Premier League, the Nascar US-based stock car racing series, and American football’s NFL.
News of the tie-up comes a day after Genius released its results for Q2 2021, which showed revenues of its betting technology, content and services division, which acquires betting rights from sports leagues and bodies and then sells them to gaming operators worldwide, as is the case with the Barstool Sports deal, having increased by 122 per cent year-on-year to $40.7 million.
Among the other operators Genius is partnered with are Bet365, Flutter, DraftKings and 888 Sport.
The company continues to add partners across its sports, betting and media divisions at pace as it expands, having gone public on the New York Stock Exchange in April after a merger with a special purpose acquisition company.
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By GlobalDataBarstool launched its first sportsbook in September last year as it, like other US companies, sought to take advantage of the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that relaxed the country’s restrictions on sports betting.
The company was founded in 2003 as a sports blog but has diversified its revenue streams in recent years, and now has a presence in podcasts, merchandise sales and, of course, betting.
That was made possible in January last year when Penn National Gaming, the casino operator parent company of Penn interactive, paid $163 million for a 36 per cent stake in Barstool to become the joint controlling stakeholder.
Mark Locke, chief executive of Genius Sports, said: “Our partnership with Penn Interactive will provide one of the fastest-growing and most innovative sports betting brands with unique content across the whole player experience.
“Barstool Sports is uniquely positioned in the U.S. market, appealing to a dynamic and passionate fan base … we look forward to supporting Barstool Sportsbook’s U.S. expansion.”
Jon Kaplowitz, head of Penn Interactive, added: “Delivering official data to our growing, loyal audience will provide tremendous wagering opportunities for our users. We also look forward to reaching sports fans who may not yet have experienced the Barstool Sportsbook through access to marketing inventory on NFL digital properties from Genius Sports.”