State Of The Big Businesses Surrounding Pro Golf
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Recent earnings and lagging technology highlight a need to reassess a pre-pandemic vision of streaming and gambling on every shot.
When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Golf Channel Feature Suggests Golf's History Of On Course Gambling Makes PGA Tour's Sports Betting Push A Natural Fit
/The same day the NFL suspended Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley over a $1500 bet and costing him his $11 million salary, it was hard not to think of Ridley’s situation when Golf Channel aired a perplexing feature (below) about sports betting during Monday’s Live From The Players. In just over five minutes, the piece served up a combo platter attempting to use golf’s long history of players wagering on the course as a legitimizing force for the fan gambling push. With plenty of the usual grow-the-game, it’s-what-the-kids-want gibberish.
(After the feature the PGA Tour’s Norb Gambuzza revealed in an on set discussion that the 501(c)(6) non-profit is hoping to up its share of the U.S. sports betting market from 1.5% to 4-5% in the next few years. So much for the slow, careful buildout.)
Also making the piece pretty weird: ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt was the primary voice for a pro-gambling message.
The feature’s message suggests it'’s cool for players to bet in a practice round or at home when playing golf, yet there will be consequences if they bet on PGA Tour action under their integrity statutes. However, since the PGA Tour does not announce fines and suspensions, we probably won’t know if a player ever does such a thing or is punished in the same manner as Calvin Ridley.
Regarding disclosure, Gambuzza was asked by Rich Lerner in the post-feature discussion if player injury reports will be optional. It’s a good question given that other sports provide various ways for gamblers to have some sense who might be at less than 100% or even doubtful for a game. Golf is going to leave such information up to the players.
This is problematic since there are others (caddies, club reps, agents, range pickers) who have access to inside information that can be used to profit. As soon as gamblers know they were kept in the dark and it becomes the “product” lacks transparency, unwanted controversies are all but guaranteed.
Here is the feature under the title of “Golf betting emerging from shadows of sport”. Lerner voices what is said to look at “the impact sports gambling has had on professional leagues around the world and how that translates to golf,” but really is just a messy attempt to rationalize the hard push to capitalize on betting.
Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, December 30th, 2021
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“Auld Tom + G.M.T, Frozen out Golfers” by Thomas Hodge, 1884 (Thomas Hodge: The Golf Artist of St Andrews)
Thanks as always for subscribing and reading. Happy New Year!
“What’s it going to be like when there is sports live betting everywhere?”
/On the latest Subpar podcast, Brian Zeigler talked about picking up Bryson DeChambeau’s bag this summer and what it was like when his man was subjected to crowd harassment.
This, as noted by Jessica Marksbury at Golf.com, highlights what they saw as the real issue. The shouts of Brooksy were not top of mind.
DeChambeau ultimately lost to Cantlay in a six-hole playoff at the BMW. The PGA Tour later announced that disruptive fans would be removed from tournament grounds going forward, a development that Zeigler said was necessary — especially with the advent of live betting coming to golf.
“What’s it going to be like when there is sports live betting everywhere?” Zeigler asked. “[DeChambeau] had a lot of that running through his mind, and that bothered him more than almost some drunk fan screaming Brooksy.”
Networks And Betting: "But will they go all in?"
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The LA Times’ Ryan Faughnder and Stephen Battaglio access the push into sports gambling and talk to various figures with an interest, but namely how networks and leagues are balancing the need for revenue and “engagement”. Coupled with their vaccine stance, it’s amazing again to see the NFL trying to lead in a more responsible manner, while other sports dive in for short term ad revenue, dreams of regaining lost viewers and to build a new kind of transactional relationship with fans.
This was fun:
Only the seven betting companies with NFL deals are allowed to advertise during pro football broadcasts. The league allows six ads per telecast: one per quarter and one during pregame and halftime.
While odds analysis can bring another level of sophistication to coverage, NFL executives are reluctant to have explicit gambling references during the regular live national broadcasts. Research indicated that audiences don’t want national broadcasts to explicitly include gambling chatter, according to Christopher Halpin, the NFL’s chief strategy and growth officer.
“The bettors say, ‘I don’t need to hear Jim Nantz and Tony Romo talk about sports betting,’” Halpin said. “‘It’s inauthentic. It’s not their area.’”
Golf’s foray has largely leaned on selling ads to the various authorized gaming partners of the Tours, with a scattershot and comically lame approach on the television side (to date). In reading about the above NFL findings, it’s hard not to think about the painful sound earlier this year of longtime CBS analysts Nick/Ian/Frank having to make their FanDuel picks for next week, or Golf Channel’s Jimmy The Greek, Paige Mackenzie, chiming in on a top parlay opportunity at PointsBet, currently available in four states. At least the CBS crew turned the sponsored bits into a chance to laugh a little.
Good news for the anti-gambling set: if the lazy, awkward and short-sighted integration continues, the whole thing will fizzle based on first impressions.
Case in point from last weekend’s Shriners Hospital For Children Open. Mercifully I didn’t hear the analysis, but won’t be shocked to learn that good golf broadcasters were put in an awkward position of hawking product only the folks of New Jersey and Indiana could gamble on via their phone.**
**The page has been updated today (Oct. 12, 2021) to now reflect seven states with some form of legalization.
Jordan On FanDuel Partnership: "It was pretty exciting to look into it."
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You don’t normally hear players mentioning how much fun it was to investigate a possible sponsorship. But the hard sell mode only reinforces what seems like inevitable issues at some point with golf and gambling. At least players like Spieth express some trepidation in endorsing a gambling outfit.
From Steve DiMeglio’s Golfweek story:
“In my rookie year, this wouldn’t have been something that would have been on the radar given where sports gaming was back then,” Spieth said in a phone call with Golfweek. “But look at where it has gone the last couple of years. It was pretty exciting to look into it.
“Golf has a unique space to get into (gaming) to help bring more eyeballs into the sport, bring (other) sports fans into being golf fans, and with FanDuel being the biggest and doing the best job at responsible gambling, it made a lot of sense.”
The story also notes how Commissioner Jay Monahan played a role in convincing Spieth to take FanDuel’s money.
Spieth said Monahan convinced him golf could not refuse to welcome gaming considering its steady growth throughout the sports world. Spieth said the Tour’s movement into gaming “gave us the confidence as individual players to want to search out and look for opportunities in this space.”
Great how these independent contractors work with the Tour on a not-very independent basis.
GasGate: A Laughing Matter Now, But The Open's 18th Tee Incident Reminds That Golf Betting Could Get Ugly
/With a one-stroke lead, Collin Morikawa backed off his 72nd hole tee shot at The Open.
After some chuckling, it was believed someone had consumed one too many of those bratwurst and was maybe a bit nervous for Morikawa. Thankfully, the 24-year-old went on to win his second major in less than a year.
But on the Pardon My Take podcast, Morikawa explained a far more disturbing story given the push for golf betting. The Daily Mail transcribed:
“Some spectator, at some point in the day, snuck a little old school microphone, like a recording. Threw it underneath one of the marshals around there and started playing these farting noises right as I was about to swing,' Morikawa told Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast.
“Louis [Oosthuizen], his caddie, my caddie, we all knew it was a farting noise. But we seriously thought it was from the spectators. We thought someone was playing it on their phone.
“The marshals were all looking, we're looking around, the marshal digs in the grass and pulls this little recorder out. What're the odds of that happening?'“
Pretty good if someone had money on the second place player up ahead.
John Daly Said He Was Offered $1 Million To Tank The Open
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John Daly gave a 2014 interview to “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” that included a revealing claim about attempted bribery to tank a tournament. The clip was just posted on YouTube this week.
Jenna Limoncelli of the New York Post reported on the revelation of attempted bribery while Daly was leading the 1995 Open.
“He says, ‘Look if you tank it, I’ll give you a million bucks,’ ”
As for Daly’s response?
“I said, ‘Go…f–k yourself. No way,'” he remembered.
Daly recounted other times being approached by gamblers.
The full clip:
Arizona: PGA Tour And DraftKings Can't Wait To Start Taking Your Money
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The ink isn’t dry yet because Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has yet to sign the bill, but that didn’t stop the PGA Tour and DraftKings from announcing a new TPC Scottsdale-based year-round sportsbook.
Why this needed to be announced before the sports betting bill was signed is beyond me, but the appearance of desperation is kind of embarrassing. This couldn’t wait a week?
Anyway, start planning your budget now Scottsdalians. Though don’t expect any fun prop bets that might upset the players.
For Immediate Release:
PGA TOUR and DraftKings expand relationship with Arizona market access and plans for one-of-a-kind retail sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale
Premium sportsbook planned at TPC Scottsdale as part of
mutual commitment to fan engagement and innovation
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – April 14, 2021 — Following the Arizona Legislature’s passage of HB 2772, which would authorize fantasy sports and sports betting in the state pending action from Governor Doug Ducey, the PGA TOUR and DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) today announced that they will expand their existing commercial relationship to provide DraftKings market access for retail and mobile sports betting in Arizona, pending regulatory approvals. As part of this agreement, the PGA TOUR and DraftKings have also announced plans to operate a premium retail sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale.
“When DraftKings became the first Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR last summer, a number of possibilities opened up to innovate together,” said Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings. “This momentous effort to pursue a first-of-its-kind sportsbook with the PGA TOUR is a testament to the vision of both organizations that we believe will ultimately benefit Arizona sports fans who want to legally bet on sports.”
The vision…to take your money.
The PGA TOUR and DraftKings plan to create a visually stunning “19th hole” experience at TPC Scottsdale where fans can gather year-round to place wagers, watch sports and enjoy quality food and beverage options. The PGA TOUR and DraftKings are working closely with the City of Scottsdale and the Thunderbirds, the host organization of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, to develop the project and maximize economic, tourism and charitable benefits to the local community. Several locations are being considered at TPC Scottsdale for the retail sportsbook, with details to be announced at a later date.
“The PGA TOUR commends the State of Arizona and Governor Ducey for their forward-thinking approach to legal sports betting.” said Norb Gambuzza, Senior Vice President of Media and Gaming at the PGA TOUR. “We are thrilled to work with DraftKings – along with the City of Scottsdale and the Thunderbirds – to explore a one-of-a-kind sportsbook experience at TPC Scottsdale and the world-class Waste Management Phoenix Open. ‘The People’s Open’ is one of the most attended events in golf and with this announcement we look forward to taking the fan experience to another level.”
Key word: taking.
Pursuant to the expanded agreement, DraftKings will also become the exclusive sports betting partner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open hosted annually at TPC Scottsdale. Additionally, the PGA TOUR and DraftKings will collaborate on co-marketing initiatives and exclusive hospitality experiences to position TPC Scottsdale as a premier global destination for sports bettors and avid golf fans.
Look, I’m pro betting but good golly, let’s make sure it’s legal first and as a charitable non-profit organization, try ease into the accelerator. Yowsers.
PGA Tour Aligns With Amazon Web Services To Build "Data Lake" For Golf History
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In a staggering move that has executives all over golf asking, why didn’t I think of that, the PGA Tour and Amazon Web Services have combined to create the single greatest piece of golf B-speak nonsense.
I’ll leave it to Sean Martin to reveal in this story for PGATour.com because it does involve the most exciting part of this announcement:
AWS will help the TOUR store real-time and historic content that will give fans and media access to content dating back to the 1928 Los Angeles Open. This “data lake” will contain video, audio and images that AWS technology will tag for easy cataloging. This will help the TOUR and its content partners search, review, annotate and package new content and give them instant access to key moments in the TOUR’s history.
Now that sounds fun. Let’s get that lake filled with data!
As for the real reason behind this deal...
In a newly announced partnership that promises to revolutionize how fans consume the game, the PGA TOUR has partnered with AWS as it looks to modernize the way golf content is created and distributed. The AWS partnership comes at the perfect time as the TOUR grows its global media services. A range of AWS services will be utilized in this new media landscape to simplify content delivery, create new digital experiences, and provide enhanced access to archived broadcast footage and highlights.
“We are excited to utilize AWS media services to further enhance new and existing innovative services for our fans,” said Scott Gutterman, the PGA TOUR’s Senior Vice President, Digital Operations. “Features like Every Shot Live and TOURCast will now be powered by AWS, which will allow for a more streamlined process and overall better product for our fans.”
Translation: we’re going to help them get closer to real-time streaming so we can make live betting happen.
The Tour’s dreams of live betting is quite unattractive in a world where streamers get excited texts from their cable-subscribing friends and must wait ten seconds to find out what happeed.
These latency issues are hugely problematic when other fans (or other interested observers) can beat the linemakers and algorithms who are on a delay. AWS to the rescue for not just golf, but all of sports streaming.
"PGA Tour goes all-in on simulcast gambling"
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Morning Read’s Mike Purkey paid for Peacock Premium and did us all a public service in watching the first-ever golf gambling simulcast. Oddly, the whole endeavor is powered by PointsBet whose customers can legally bet in just six states. And sports gambling is no where close to even being on a legislative radar in Arizona, home of the Waste Management Open.
It sounds like there are a few hundred kinks to work out.
The TV guys did their best to explain how it all works and attempted to share their thinking on the faux bets on Thursday. They even asked Croucher and Teddy Greenstein, former longtime sports columnist at the Chicago Tribune, for advice on betting strategy.
To say the PointsBet pair hedged would be understating the point. They absolutely refused to give betting advice, and with good reason. The purpose of a sportsbook is for as many people as possible to lose. That’s why they call it gambling.
The most awkward part of the webcast was the effort by the announcers to mix golf analysis with betting analysis. Do one or the other, but remember: This is not a traditional telecast.
More than once, viewers were encouraged to have a gambling budget and stick to it, that advice coming from the American Gaming Association.
Like I said, thank you Mike. We owe you one.
Farmers: PointsBet Refunds All Pre-Tournament Outright Win Bets Not On Patrick Reed
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PointsBet Sportsbook, NBC and the PGA Tour’s top preferred gaming partner, announced a refund after Patrick Reed’s Farmers Insurance Open win for those who bet pre-tournament on an outright winner other than Reed.
Given the nefarious drop excused by on site officials but widely panned by most everyone else, including his peers, the result was tainted even with Reed ultimately securing a five stroke win. It’s a brilliant ploy by PointsBet for publicity and setting the tone of doing the right thing as gambling enters American wagering.
The dollar amounts were likely miniscule at this point, making the gesture a brand-building play as much as anything. Still, it’s not a glowing endorsement of the Tour’s handling of Reed while setting a bold precedent.
That said, this also highlights the issues golf will face when perceived cheating, questionable rulings, undisclosed injuries or even course setup gaffes could lead the betting public to feel the “product” is untrustworthy.
Will Gray explains at PointsBet where the announcement even came with a graphic.
PGA Tour Now Has A Live-Odds Leaderboard Devoid Of FedExCup Projections
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No Titleist insignias next to player names, no FedExCup projections, just the tournament standings and the live odds from one of two options: PointsBet or, if you click “To Win (All)” at the top, a readout of all the PGA Tour’s preferred sports gaming (budget responsibly!) partners.
As for the algorithm putting Tony Finau at +550-+700 while in a multi-player second place tie at the Farmers Insurance Open? One that includes folks who’ve won more and more often at a similar or higher price? That’s a conversation for you and your preferred gaming outlet.
When Asking For A Mark Might Have Saved Xander Schauffele A Shot (Or Two)
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As a connoisseur of backstopping gone bad I so rarely get to enjoy the spoils of the nefarious practice now that players seem to have gotten the message that ball marks are their friends.
Full enjoyment of this Farmers Insurance Open round one incident is not possible since we don’t know if Jordan Spieth was desperate to mark his ball, only to have Xander Schauffele prioritizing fast play.
But as Christopher Powers writes for GolfDigest.com, the doozy of a bad break led to a Schauffele bogey and Phil Mickelson quickly asking Spieth to mark the same ball that sent Xander’s pellet running.
The setup from Powers:
The hole is only 322 yards, and Schauffele had blasted his drive just left of the green, leaving him with a difficult sidehill lie to a tucked left pin. Up on the green, Jordan Spieth, one of Schauffele’s playing partners, had not yet marked his ball. Schauffele went ahead and hit anyway, and would you believe it, his ball hit Spieth’s and ricocheted all the way off the other side of the green. Take a look:
Again, there are two ways of looking at this: a very bad break, or he had it coming since he didn’t ask Spieth to mark his ball. Protect the field, as they say. Something tells us the fine folks on Golf Twitter will be leaning toward the “karma” argument, but we can’t be too sure.
I looked and found two Tweets from the Schauffele Legion. This either speaks to my searching skills or the audience size for round one of the Farmers.
Somewhere a gambler was happy as Spieth ended up beating Schauffele in a group match bet by just a a stroke for those where sports betting is legal.
Someone else wasn’t so happy though they have yet to blame the backstop gone bad for their financial suffering.
The offending shot in a small embed (go to GolfDigest.com to see it in a larger version):
Do Not Live Over Par: "Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly" Aims To Educate Golf Fans On Gaming
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You’ve got to know when to hold' ‘em, know when to lay up, know when to…I digress.
Sorry Kenny and RIP. Just a stellar song.
So remember kids, know that when you put a hundred down on Zach Johnson to hit the longest drive of the day at 200-1, you might have a problem. The AGA is here to help. And they’ve registered Have A Game Plan in case you were getting any ideas of stealing that killer slogan.
PGA TOUR and AGA Align to Educate Fans on Responsible Gaming
TOUR to introduce golf-specific content campaign “Know When to Lay Up”
January 19, 2021, 10 AM ET
WASHINGTON – The PGA TOUR joined the American Gaming Association (AGA) as the newest Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly public service campaign partner to educate golf fans on responsible sports betting.
As part of the campaign, the TOUR will develop content that encourages its fans to “Know When to Lay Up” and bet responsibly. The co-branded responsible gaming content will appear on social and digital platforms along with public service announcements that will air on PGA TOUR Radio.
Wait what? Radio? No TV?
“A key pillar of the PGA TOUR’s sports betting strategy is responsible gaming and ensuring our fans are equipped with the appropriate resources so they are properly prepared and educated,” said Scott Warfield, VP of Gaming at the PGA TOUR. “By aligning with the American Gaming Association in support of its Have A Game Plan campaign we’re able to align our efforts and provide a consistent message focused on responsible gaming.”
To the vast radio audience.
The TOUR joins NASCAR and the National Hockey League (NHL) as league partners in the campaign, which focuses on the fundamentals of responsible sports betting: setting a budget and sticking to it, keeping betting social, knowing the odds, and playing with trusted, regulated operators.
Ah now we’re getting somewhere. Trusted, regulated operators. Where we get a proper cut vs. Jerry at the corner bar.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment and the Vegas Golden Knights have also committed inventory in support of the campaign.
Committed inventory sends an even stronger message than radio.
“The AGA is thrilled welcome the PGA TOUR to our growing responsible sports betting campaign,” said Casey Clark, AGA Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications. “As legal sports betting continues to expand in both availability and popularity, it is imperative that responsible gaming education keeps pace. Today’s announcement is a testament to the TOUR’s thoughtful approach to sports betting and marks an important step in continuing to engage all industry stakeholders in our shared responsibility to educate fans on safely and responsibly betting on sports.”
Gentlemen, this bill will be a giant step forward in the treatment of the insane gambler!
Launched in 2019, the AGA’s Have A Game Plan campaign provides consumers with a state-by-state guide on where to find legal operators, spotlights the basics of sports betting, and raises awareness on signs of problem gambling.
This partnership is the latest in a string of progressive and industry-leading sports betting initiatives by the TOUR. Following the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, the TOUR instituted a robust integrity program in collaboration with Genius Sports and later that year announced a global partnership with IMG ARENA to license its official, live scoring data to betting operators all over the world. The TOUR’s official sports betting partners include BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet, and the organization continues to evolve its innovative GolfBet partnership with The Action Network. The TOUR is also a platinum member of the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Sure seems like they are worried more about the gamblers than how the gamblers might effect the players, but only time will tell. Still a ways to go
Background
25 states and Washington, DC have now legalized sports betting, with 20 jurisdictions already operational.
45%, or 115 million, of American adults now live in a jurisdiction where wagering on sports is legal.
Between June 2018 and November 2020, bettors legally wagered more than $35 billion on sports nationwide, generating nearly $2.5 billion in sportsbook revenue and approximately $330 million in tax revenue to state and local governments.
45% of states means this is illegal in 55% of states, FYI.
