In the latest sports betting news in the US, a lot of talk about integrity fees are abound. Integrity fees are percentages or cuts that sports leagues want from bookmakers. Sports news outlets are reporting that professional US sports leagues like the MLB and the NBA may cut off data for bookmakers in Nevada.
Since sports betting in the US is getting very popular, you have betting pick options that can give you a lot of profit from different sports, like basketball, baseball, football, and more. That’s thousands of wagering options.
US Sports Betting
Sports leagues are rumored to be threatening to hold off releasing official data feeds to bookmakers until they give an integrity fee. This fee, or royalty, is 0.25% for MLB bets, while NBA royalties are unknown as of yet.
This comes as another option for sports leagues. Since most US states do not include integrity fees in sports betting legalization laws. Of course, no official statement will come out, since these rumors of asking for fees are not done on record.
Sports leagues may be acting through one data provider to get this done. Apparently, on top of existing fees, leagues may ask for a percentage for in-game wagers. This comes across negatively, as most sports leagues already have measures in place that protects the integrity of each sport. So any other “integrity fee” should technically not be necessary.
Sportsbook operators argue that there are so many licensing fees. Plus revenue taxes that integrity fees will cut into their profits more. Sports leagues, however, want a part of the money. Since they are the ones providing the data and the object that people are placing wagers on. This debate continues in US sports betting, although some leagues are already turning a profit from sports betting through data sharing and advertisements and sponsorships as well.