- Gambling proved to be a hot category for NFL ad sales in 2021, partly because of scarcity (the NFL allowed only six in-game betting ads per game) and partly because of the number of upstart companies trying to build awareness in the market, reports SBJ's John Ourand in next week's magazine. This marked the first year the NFL allowed these ads during games, so there isn’t a good comparison to last year. Caesars spent the most ($59.1 million), followed by FanDuel ($48 million), DraftKings ($28.1 million) and BetMGM ($24 million). See more on this story as part of SBJ Early Access.
- Legalized sports betting did not seem to be driving NFL regular-season gains, notes my colleague Ben Fischer. Conventional wisdom holds that gambling increases viewership by encouraging fans to watch for more time. But in 2021, the NFL’s gains came from more people watching more games, not because they stayed tuned in longer. “I’m as big a bull on the long-term impact of wagering to viewership as anybody, and obviously our company believes strongly in it -- and I believe the fact that New York just went legal in the last few days has the potential to be a pivot point in that evolution -- but I still don’t believe we’ve seen it this year,” Fox Sports Exec VP and Head of Strategy & Analytics Mike Mulvihill said.
- Fubo Gaming is looking to get ahead of the game in Texas before the state potentially legalizes sports betting, signing a pact with the Dynamo -- its first with an MLS club. It's a multiyear market access deal between the two sides that includes practice jersey branding for the Dynamo and the NWSL Houston Dash.
- PointsBet says it successfully tested a live in-game betting option during Saturday’s Raiders-Bengals Wild Card game on NBC, reports SportTechie's Dominic Massimo. PointsBet’s "Always On" in-play wagering was powered by Banach Technology, a gambling software provider that was acquired by PointsBet for $43 million in 2020. Meanwhile, PointsBet this morning inked an exclusive sponsorship that will make it the official sportsbook of Troon, operator of more than 625 golf courses in 45 states and 30 countries.
- "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" debuts its 28th season on Tuesday on HBO, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Owner Ted Leonsis will be among the interviewees, talking about the state of sports betting in the U.S.
