Major League Baseball (MLB) made national headlines this week when current baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the MLB and MGM Resorts formed a gaming operator partnership.
The multi-year deal includes access to baseball’s official stat feed and exclusive access to enhanced stats. MGM Resorts will also have permission to use official league and team logos in their advertisements and sportsbooks.
Access to enhanced statistical data is exclusive to the deal, but the MLB has left open the opportunity to sell basic data rights to other operators. Enhanced stats will include home-run velocity, base running speeds, and route efficiency among other things.
Commissioner Manfred said that the league looks forward to the fan engagement opportunities ahead and that the partnership with MGM will help them navigate through the evolving sports betting market responsibly.
Over the years many fans have expressed their concerns with the speed of Major League Baseball games, but Manfred stated that the speed of the game could have a positive impact for live or in-play betting.
Live betting is one of the newest options many sportsbooks are starting to offer their players and account holders. Live betting is the process of betting on a sport or event after it has started.
Many states still do not have legal domestic betting options. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was a federal ban against domestic sports betting that was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in May 2018.
Since PASPA’s repeal, 6 US states have enacted sports betting legislation: Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Nevada already had domestic sports betting, and one tribal-casino in New Mexico is currently accepting bets on sporting events.
48 states currently have access to legal online sportsbooks that offer MLB baseball betting lines and live betting on MLB games. Excluding the state of Washington and Connecticut, all 50 states can access MLB odds and other online wagering services.
Bovada is the top pick among many reputable industry professionals for MLB odds and future betting lines. Bovada is legally licensed and is currently accessible in 45 US states.
The MLB is now the 3rd major USA sporting franchise to partner with MGM Resorts. MGM announced a similar partnership with the NBA in June of 2018 and a partnership with the NHL in October of 2018.
While the pace of the game is set to stay the same, MGM Resorts is looking to make the game of baseball much more exciting for anyone who lives in one of the legal sports betting states and likes to put a little money down on their favorite team.
