Sportradar issued "legal proceedings" against rival BetGenius, accusing it of holding an "unlawful monopoly over statistics" on EPL matches that has "pushed up the cost of placing bets on the sport." According to Sportradar, BetGenius and its partner Football DataCo are "in breach" of U.K. and EU competition law by holding "exclusive rights to data" taken from games in the top English and Scottish leagues. The data, which is controlled by the EPL, is sold by BetGenius to bookmakers who use it to "calculate odds for customers."
Sportradar Managing Dir of Sports Partnerships David Lampitt said that the value of the EPL data to Sportradar amounted to a "seven-figure sum" and that in addition to the competition law ruling, his company was suing BetGenius and Football DataCo for an "undisclosed figure." BetGenius declined to comment on the legal proceedings "but is expected to contest the claim." Due to the exclusive nature of BetGenius and Football DataCo’s deal with the EPL, Sportradar has resorted to "sending scouts to stadiums to collect data on phones during matches" -- a move that BetGenius has said is an "infringement of its rights" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 3/5).
