Kindred’s Unibet Now Uses Official NBA Data for Sports Betting

Unibet, a Kindred brand, has secured a fresh partnership with the National Basketball Association. Under the terms of the new agreement, Unibet is now an Authorized Sports Betting Operator for the league.

Kindred’s Unibet Becomes NBA Authorized Sports Betting Operator

Unibet, a Kindred Group-owned brand, has signed a landmark partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) becoming an authorized sports betting operator for the world’s leading basketball league.

Moving forward, Unibet will now be able to offer sports fans official NBA betting data, which will further enhance the customer experience, allowing bettors to rely on odds and information updated in real-time and without delays.

Commenting on the development Kindred US SVP Manuel Stan had the following to say:

“We are very proud to team with the NBA.  This will add further customer value to an already first-class betting experience thanks to official NBA betting data and league marks across our mobile and retail platforms.  Kindred shares the NBA’s view on a legal and sustainable sports betting market, which makes this partnership a perfect match.”

The NBA already has data deals with Sportradar and Genius Sports, providing the company with ‘unparalleled real-time official NBA betting data,’ as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver put it at the time.

Data Partnerships Now the Norm

Data partnerships are the new rapprochement between the biggest sports leagues in the United States and sports betting operators.

After previously demanding an integrity fee, leagues have finally settled for partnering with sportsbooks instead. Sportradar, a sports data giant, has already signed to high-profile deals with Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Football League (NFL).

These partnerships usually result in real-time official play-by-play data, as the company puts it. Furthermore, Sportradar brings more important tools to the table, such as integrity monitoring to ensure the fairness of contests in leagues.

#NFL average viewership up 6 percent, 35 for 35 of top shows among all programming. https://t.co/vURBaVtohf

— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) October 30, 2019

The failure to push an integrity fee through has prompted leagues to seek more agreeable ways to leverage their official data and benefit from it. Espousing sports betting operators has proved to be a godsend for viewership.

NFL engagement has been rising since sports betting became legal in May 2018 and states began adopting it. Viewership numbers for football have been inching up by around 6% year-over-year.