Both organizations tout the benefits of the deal
Not surprisingly, both The Stars Group and Major League Baseball are championing the recent multi-year agreement for FOX Bet.
“We continue to see a great appetite for the FOX Bet app as well as FOX Sports Super 6,” The Stars Group CEO Robin Chhabra said. “Having a partnership with MLB enables us to use official MLB data and league marks, providing a better experience for our customers.”
As for MLB, the professional sports league was happy to have FOX Bet on board as well.
“Adding The Stars Group and FOX Bet to our authorized gaming operator program continues our vision for ensuring we are serving fans with opportunity and choice,” Kenny Gersh, MLB’s executive vice president of gaming and new business ventures, said. “Our official data feed, including real time and reliable game statistics, and league marks will enable The Stars Group to build unique and engaging gaming products around our sport.”
A progressive move toward acceptance
This agreement is just the latest sign that professional sports leagues like MLB have turned the corner when it comes to their thoughts on legal sports gambling. When New Jersey began its fight to legalize sports gambling in the United States a few years ago, leagues like MLB fought hard against it. They specifically cited concerns over the integrity of the game.
MLB has a particularly checkered past with sports betting and game fixing. Way back in 1919, eight players on the Chicago White Sox team were accused of fixing the World Series that year against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money as part of a gambling syndicate led by noted mobster, Arnold Rothstein. The scandal became infamously known as The Black Sox Scandal, and all eight men — including “Shoeless Joe Jackson” were permanently banned from MLB.
Once New Jersey officially won its fight and the Supreme Court of the U.S. overturned the PASPA law that banned sports gambling, MLB has taken a different stance — maybe it’s to capitalize on money or maybe it’s because there’s no use fighting anymore. Either way, MLB and other professional leagues are now embracing legal sports gambling instead of fighting it.
A similar fight
Canadians are hoping for a similar successful outcome in the fight for legalizing single game sports gambling in their country. Some candidates for government positions are saying it’s about time it’s made legal and regulated by the provinces. Time will tell whether that comes true, and how Canada’s laws follow or don’t follow the United States. In the meantime, if you’re looking to get in on the action of sports gambling, check out the online sportsbook below.