Data collection is the "lifeblood of sports betting, perhaps the most crucial and valuable element of the entire industry," as well as how it "creates manifold betting opportunities," according to a front-page piece by Glanz & Armendariz of the N.Y. TIMES. The nature of sports betting in Britain previews the "battles to come" in the U.S. over "how the data should be collected and whether the gambling industry should be required to use 'official data,'" a league-approved tabulation of what happened in a game. The debate over official data is "one fact of a still broader set of questions: How should sports data from any source, official or unofficial, be regulated, monitored and purchased?" Does "real-time data from a sporting event, like the sounds of a musical performance, have a claim to royalties and copyright protection for those who produce it?" London-based data firm Genius Sports Managing Dir Steven Burton said that without "agreement on a fast, common source of data" among the leagues, betting houses and legislators, the legal product "risks being less than compelling." Burton said, "The idea of building the U.S. sports betting industry on unofficial data, it's kind of putting it on a par with pirated DVDs and sidewalk hustlers and illicit streaming sites. It's all that grubby underworld." In the past year, 17 states have considered new laws on sports betting, and for "proponents of official data," New York and Pennsylvania are "potential bellwethers." The proposed New York law would "require official data for in-play betting, and mandate what the bill calls a 'commercially reasonable' subscription fee for the data" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/3).
RIGHT ON TRACK: Meadowlands Racetrack has announced that it will "open its legalized sports betting service on July 14, one day sooner than previously scheduled." Meadowlands Racetrack GM Jason Settlemoir said, "The timing is much better and in correlation with one of our biggest race days, the Meadowlands Pace." Ireland-based Paddy Power Betfair Finance Dir Keith Wall said that at 11:00am ET on July 14, the track will "open to the public, allowing wagers on professional and college sports" (Bergen RECORD, 7/3).
