LIV Golf has entered into a strategic partnership with US microbetting specialist Simplebet, which will now serve as the league’s official sports betting innovation partner.
LIV Golf has entered into a strategic partnership with US microbetting specialist Simplebet, which will now serve as the league’s official sports betting innovation partner.
What is LIV Golf?
LIV Golf is a relatively new professional golf tour, which was founded in 2021 and began its inaugural season in 2022.
It is led by Australian entrepreneur and former world number one professional golfer Greg Norman as CEO, and is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The league was established as something of a challenger to long-established PGA Tour events.
It aims to bring together some of the world’s best golfers to create a new “super league,” and has been described as the golfing equivalent of the European Super League in football.
When it was first established, the PGA Tour said that members who participate in LIV Golf events could be sanctioned with fines, suspensions or bans for playing in conflicting events without the Tour’s permission.
“Together with LIV Golf, we will create the new blueprint for how sports leagues can maximise their IP through innovative betting.”
In 2022, the Tour followed through by saying that members participating in the first LIV Golf tournament were no longer eligible to compete in tour events or the Presidents Cup.
A trial had been scheduled for 2024 to resolve whether the PGA Tour had engaged in anti-competitive behaviour, and whether LIV Golf could be sued by the Tour for encouraging PGA players to break their existing contracts.
However, in June, it was revealed that the PGA Tour, PGA European Tour and LIV Golf had agreed to a merger, to create a new for-profit venture funded by the Saudi’s Public Investment Fund and led by current PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan as CEO.
Each of the three tours will maintain its own administrative oversight and sanctioning of its events.
The agreement ends all existing litigation and brings with it plans for “fair and objective process for any players who desire to re-apply for membership.”
Simplebet collaboration
Now, LIV Golf’s collaboration with Simplebet will see the microbetting specialist distribute the league’s real-time competition data to betting operators and media platforms globally.
That distribution will provide Simplebet customers such as DraftKings, Caesars and bet365 with “innovative single-screen in-play wager technology complimented with low latency video streaming in the US and other international markets,” LIV Golf said.
Operators will therefore be able to offer a variety of in-play microbets on LIV Golf, meaning “fans will be able to engage with the tournament competition from start to finish,” betting on individual moments such as whether a player’s tee shot will land in the fairway, or whether they will sink their next putt.
According to data previously published by sports betting supplier Kambi, the proportion 35% of bets on The Masters 2022 golf tournament were staked in-play.
The Masters was the most popular golf tournament by turnover for Kambi in 2022, followed by The Open, the PGA Championship and US Open.
Management commentary
“This is a transcendent moment for the sport and we are thrilled to serve as the official sports betting innovation partner of LIV Golf,” said Simplebet CEO Chris Bevilacqua.
“We’ve revolutionised the way audiences around the world connect with live sports by unlocking fan engagement opportunities and together with LIV Golf, we will create the new blueprint for how sports leagues can maximise their IP through innovative betting.”
LIV Golf commissioner and CEO Greg Norman added: “Developing new ways that golf can progress into the future has been a league tenet since day one.
“LIV Golf presents a supercharged tournament and fan experience showcasing a consistent field of the world’s best players competing at the same time under the same conditions.
“With golf becoming an increasingly popular sport within the multi-billion-dollar sports betting market, our league is proud to work with Simplebet which aligns with our competition model that every shot from every player is meaningful, from start to finish.”
Earlier this year, Simplebet COO Mark Nerenberg spoke to iGaming NEXT about the sports betting supplier’s fascinating journey to date.