Melbourne platform iSport Genius has partnered with US outfit DraftKings to see its analytics power DraftKings’ Sportsbook, its new sports betting offering.
Born and known as a fantasy sports giant, DraftKings made its move to enter the betting market after the US Supreme Court earlier this year overturned a 1992 law that had outlawed betting on sports in most states.
With Sportsbook now live and taking bets in New Jersey, iSport Genius data is being fed into the Sportsbook platform to help punters make more informed bets.
As well as match previews, facts, head to head statistics, and season information, iSport Genius allows users to consider the performance of players and teams based on factors such as weather conditions (can they do it on a cold, wet Tuesday night in Stoke?), winning or losing streaks, whether they are coming off a long break, and more.
The partnership with DraftKings has been two years in the making: after giving a talk on US sports data at a London conference in late 2016, iSport Genius cofounder Nathan Rothschild was approached by Jeffrey Haas, the chief international officer at DraftKings, to have a chat. They kept in touch, with Haas earlier this year emailing to look at how the companies could work together on a sports betting offering.
Rothschild said, “We are delighted to mark our expansion into the United States by partnering with DraftKings, a proven market leader in fantasy sports, which has it perfectly positioned to dominate sports betting. This deal is a clear demonstration of the expected demand from American consumers for engaging data experiences as they interact with sport and sports betting.”
Founded in 2014 by Rothschild, Jared Hopping, and Brett Cosgriff, iSport Genius is the flagship product of Genius Tech Group. Among its other offerings are Stadium Genius, which helps to engage fans in the stadium during games, and Genius Games, a series of prediction and arcade mobile games.
iSport Genius has been powering a variety of betting companies since launch; Ladbrokes was the first to come on board, initially signing a three year deal with the startup that was extended for another two years in 2017. Among its other clients are Sportsbet and Unibet.
Hopping told Startup Daily the last few years have been “a rollercoaster of emotion” as the company has grown.
“We have faced a significant growth phase in our business which comes with its own set of challenges; whether that be who to hire and when, how to constantly innovate but ensure the core product and business objectives are met, how to excel with customer service to our clients and not let these standards drop when new clients come on board or new products are released, and how to expand overseas,” he said.
“Entering the USA is a reflection on our ability to build world-class products which scale globally.”
There is significant growth to come with DraftKings as more US states regulate sports betting.
Hopping said, “The iSport Genius product will be a key part of the user journey on DraftKings Sportsbook. We are excited about what is next for us, as [DraftKings] too are extremely nimble and innovative.”
Image: Jared Hopping. Source: Supplied.
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