The NCAA for the first time is authorizing licensed sportsbooks to use its marks and logos and receive official data from championship events, including the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, through an expanded partnership with technology firm Genius Sports, but only if betting options deemed “risky” are prohibited.
Genius Sports becomes the exclusive distributor of official NCAA data feeds to sportsbooks that participate in an authorized gaming licensee program through 2032, according to a release Friday announcing the partnership. Sportsbooks can use the data feeds to power live betting options, and the NCAA marks and logo can be used inside sports betting apps but not for outside marketing.
The deal does not include college football championship data, as the NCAA does not operate the College Football Playoff.
Genius Sports, headquartered in London, will collaborate with participating sportsbooks to “strengthen integrity protections and promote responsible betting practices, including limiting risky bet types, ensuring compliance and safeguarding student-athletes.” The partnership includes enforcement responsibilities to prevent unauthorized data sharing from inside NCAA venues.
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“The NCAA has and will continue to be a national leader in advancing responsible gaming policies, and this extended partnership with Genius Sports continues that commitment with a first-of-its-kind ban on high-risk proposition bets, specifically underperformance wagers, negative outcome bets and wagers on injuries, officials’ decisions or fan-voted awards,” Tim Buckley, NCAA senior vice president of external affairs, said in a statement. “NCAA data will only be available to sportsbooks if they remove risky bets from their platforms and agree to fully cooperate with NCAA investigations and provide key information including geolocation data and device records. The NCAA retains the right to terminate any sportsbook data license if integrity protections are violated — ensuring real accountability.”
The NCAA will use revenue from the agreement to fund educational programs on sports betting harm and to monitor and mitigate the harassment of student-athletes, coaches and officials.
“This extension is a powerful endorsement of our vision — delivering cutting-edge data solutions to support NCAA schools while connecting our sportsbook partners with the highest quality NCAA official content, alongside our exclusive NFL and Premier League rights. Most importantly, it’s a partnership grounded in innovation, integrity, and a shared commitment to the future of collegiate athletics,” Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports, said in the release.
The distribution of data to sportsbooks is the latest twist in the NCAA’s complicated relationship with betting. The NCAA has advocated for a nationwide ban on prop betting on individual college players, and it prohibits players, coaches and officials from participating in any form of sports gambling.
“Nothing we’ve done within this data deal suggests that we’re promoting betting in any way,” Clint Hangebrauck, the NCAA’s managing director of enterprise risk management, told ESPN on Friday. “We still have strict restrictions against advertisements and sponsorships associated with our championships. This isn’t about promoting betting.”
NCAA members will continue to receive live game statistics for free through the NCAA LiveStats platform.
