IMG Arena, the sports betting arm of the international sports and entertainment giant, has today acquired distribution rights for its first major golf tournament, the upcoming US PGA Championship.

Through a deal with event organiser the PGA of America, London-based IMG Arena will distribute data and live-streaming content to betting partners worldwide from the PGA Championship, which takes place at Kiawah Island in South Carolina from Thursday to Sunday.

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IMG Arena will distribute the data and live-streaming content from two par-3 holes via its Golf Event Centre. IMG has said this solution “is an industry-first product, created in association with the world’s leading golf tours to enable interactive in-play betting on the sport”.

The Golf Event Centre is a front-end solution that provides shot-by-shot data and markets, live streaming and interactive course visualisations to enhance the betting experience.

It was launched in 2020 off the back of IMG Arena’s deal with USA’s PGA Tour to distribute official scoring data to betting operators in North America, as well as in international markets.

The data from the PGA Championship will be collected by ShotLink, the PGA Tour’s scoring system.

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Max Wright, IMG Arena’s senior vice-president of commercial, said: “The PGA Championship has a reputation for producing dramatic and thrilling moments, making it a perfect addition to the Golf Event Centre for sports bettors to enjoy through our global operator partners.”

Seth Waugh, chief executive of the PGA of America, added: “This is truly a new avenue to reach beyond dedicated golf fans and grow interest in the game from a more diverse fan base. We’re excited for what this opportunity will bring now and in the future, especially when the PGA Championship is hosted in states where sports betting is permitted.”

The PGA Championship is the second of the four annual golf majors to be held this year. 

In March this year, IMG Arena teamed up with BetMGM, the US sports betting giant, to utilise the Golf Event Centre.

Under the new collaboration, the company will have access to IMG Arena’s live video feed that allows customers to follow the play on two par-3 holes each week from the PGA Tour.

These holes are captured from tee to green and feature dedicated shot and hole score bets for each group that arrives on the tee.

BetMGM first became an official betting operator of the PGA Tour in a multi-year agreement announced last August.

In addition to the PGA Tour, IMG Arena clients include golf’s European Tour, plus tennis’ ATP, UFC and soccer’s English FA Cup and Italian Serie A.