Just like many of the other professional sports leagues in the United States, the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was for a long time not sold on the idea of sports betting. However, since the abolishment of PASPA by the United States Supreme Court there has an avalanche of pro-sports betting developments. As a result, the leagues and professional sports betting associations have warmed up to sports betting.
The PGA has joined the party and now it is looking to making it much easier for golf fans to bet on the golf events. For this venture, the PGA Tour has teamed up with IMG Arena in order to offer a betting product.
How It All Started
Initially, the PGA got into the gambling sector because it sought to improve fan engagement. There were no solid plans for sports betting and this was partly because of the association’s previous stance with regards to sports betting. However, once they got a grasp of the dynamics of the industry and how they could make some money from the industry, picking a direction was pretty easy. The league started by allowing official marketing partnerships as well as title sponsorships with a number of daily fantasy sports-related companies.
Now, it seems that they are finally ready to go all-in on legalized sports betting in the United States. Needless to say, there could be no better time for that than now. Already a decent number of states have legalized sports betting and many more are expected to follow suit in the near future. This presents a unique opportunity that will see betting on golf events quickly become a big deal.
What to Expect
According to Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, the association is hoping to capitalize on the massive growth of the sports betting industry. One of their key areas of focus is mobile betting which has also been rapidly growing in a number of states.
The PGA’s mobile betting product is expected to debut sometime next year and it is primarily being championed as a tool that will enhance engagement.
“When done right, it gives fans the opportunity to engage with your sport over a longer period of time and have more interest in what’s happening across the entire player field,” Monahan said.
There are, of course, concerns that will need to be addressed especially with regards to integrity. This becomes even more critical since the results will determine how thousands of dollars change hands which might be a leeway for some levels of interference. Fortunately, the PGA has already taken steps to ensure that integrity remains intact.
