The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour has now become the first pickleball organization to join the sports betting hype and launch wagering markets. The FanDuel Sportsbook, one of the biggest operators in North America, has inaugurated the markets, becoming the first company to offer official data-powered markets and live video feeds on pickleball.
According to the announcement, FanDuel’s PPA Tour offerings will be available in 10 US states and one Canadian province. Bettors in those regions will be able to wager on a variety of events, including the Vulcan Kansas City Open, which starts today.
FanDuel will offer a number of markets, including match winners, correct match scores, total points (over/under) and head-to-head. At the same time, the PPA Tour will work together with Genius Sports to provide data and live video feeds to its partnering sportsbooks.
In the meantime, FanDuel collaborated with YouTube for a special NFL promotion.
The PPA Tour hopes that more sportsbooks will add pickleball markets once the discipline secures regulatory approval in additional states.
In line with the launch of betting markets, PPA Tour athletes and staff are now subject to the Tour Sports Betting and Integrity Policy and were required to complete a digital learning platform on integrity and player wellbeing. Sportradar assisted the tour in creating the platform and its Sports Betting and Integrity Policy.
The PPA Tour promised that it will make sure that all customers who opt to wager on the league will also have access to sufficient safer gambling tools.
The Launch of Betting Is an Important Moment for Pickleball
Connor Pardoe, PPA Tour’s founder and CEO, commented on the launch of betting markets, calling it a “monumental moment” for the association and the sport as a whole. Pardoe expressed his excitement, saying that he is glad that more and more people wish to watch pickleball and bet on matches.
Our venture into sports betting will bring a whole new level of engagement from current and new fans, and we continue to be excited for what the future holds for our sport.
Connor Pardoe, founder & CEO, PPA Tour
Sean Conroy, Genius Sport’s executive vice president, North America, also released a statement on the launch. He said that his team is excited to launch pickleball content, helping sportsbooks engage fans of the sport.
We’re excited to offer sportsbooks with valuable new content including low-latency video feeds on PPA Tour events, starting with this weekend’s Vulcan Kansas City Open.
Sean Conroy, EVP NA, Genius Sports
Speaking of Genius Sports, the company recently extended its partnership with the NFL and DFB.