The PGA Tour has made no secret of its enthusiasm for sports gambling.
When the Supreme Court granted states the right the legalize the practice in 2018, the Tour wasted little time embracing the opportunity as a new channel by which to grow both its audience and revenues. The Tour has since inked deals with the likes of FanDuel, BetMGM and Bet365; partnered with DraftKings on a sports book at TPC Scottsdale; and sung the praises of betting as an effective way to engage younger fans.
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As Scott Warfield, the Tour’s vice president of gaming, told GOLF.com earlier this year: “We look at it as a way in this fragmented media landscape to get a fan to watch an extra three holes each weekend or attend two more events every year, to get a 25-year-old who’s never thought about PGA Tour golf and viewing it or attending it as something they should consider.”
This week, the Tour doubled-down on that thinking, with the rollout of its overhauled app. The app, which the Tour, in a press release, said was “shaped by hundreds of interviews with fans and players,” offers all kinds of upgrades and add-ons, including splashier video presentation, faster load times and enhanced stat tracking. But gamblers no doubt will notice another addition: the odds and betting functionality that have been integrated into the leaderboard.
Users can now not only check the scores of their favorite players or how many greens they’ve hit but also bet on them to win. Click on a player’s odds and the app redirects you to the BetMGM app, where you can place the wager. And it sounds like that process will soon become even more seamless. “In the coming months,” the PGA Tour release said, “we’ll be adding even more features, including the ability to connect your accounts for tickets, streaming and gaming so that all those experiences will be consolidated on one platform.
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Other bets teased through the app include head-to-head matchups and prop bets, such as which player will be leading after the first round.
Take this week’s RSM Classic. Tap on “Odds” on the leaderboard page, and you’ll find Jason Day at +2,200 to win, Chris Kirk at +6,600 and Scott Piercy at +10,000. Or perhaps you instead fancy a head-to-head-to-head three-ball match-up? Taylor Montgomery is a heavy favorite, at -105, in his grouping with Kevin Yu (+180) and Scott Harrington (+350). Options abound.
For gamblers, it’s fun stuff. For the PGA Tour, it’s yet another sign that when it comes to betting, the Tour is all in.