Twitter Considers Sports Betting Space as NFL, College Football Engagement Grows

Mulling the betting world

As sports betting spreads across the US, more and more companies from outside of the sector have expressed their interest in securing a slice of the pie. Now, it’s the turn of the social media platform Twitter.

an 11% year-on-year increase in the average number of tweets per NFL game

The company has seen considerable growth in its users’ engagement with American football content this season. According to data supposedly provided to Front Office Sports (FOS), the platform reported an 11% year-on-year increase in the average number of tweets per NFL game to around 250,000, in addition to a 35% rise in tweets regarding college football.

Off the back of this growth, Twitter’s manager of US sports partnerships has expressed an interest in moving into the sports betting space. Speaking with FOS, David Herman said: “We are consistently looking for new ways to enhance the user experience and at some point, as it relates to betting, that could be great.”

Monetizing sports engagement

As reported by FOS on Tuesday, Twitter has moved away from streaming full sporting events. Instead, the social media giant has formed partnerships that Herman believes work better for its users. “We’ve learned significantly over the years what is the best use case for live on Twitter,” the exec commented.

Despite forming a number of agreements with sports-related companies, Twitter has no official betting partner as of yet. Operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM are able to advertise on the website, but no sportsbooks can offer their betting services on the platform itself.

Herman indicated that the company may consider this option at some point, however. “We think Twitter is a platform that plays well into gambling-related conversations,” he commented. “We’re live. We’re real-time. That’s what betting is.” That said, the Twitter exec noted that legal wagering is still only live in certain states, adding that the company is still “evaluating the space as a whole.”

Other firms make the leap

US sports fans wagered an unprecedented $21.5bn throughout 2020, and that success certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. Multiple US-based companies are now eyeing a move into the sports betting space. 

enormous opportunity in sports.”

Only last week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek expressed an interest in taking a leap into the sports betting world. During his company’s Q4 2021 earnings call, the chief executive described an “enormous opportunity in sports.” He said the iconic brand’s reach and scale would lend itself to success in the sports wagering market.

Similarly, magazine publisher Sports Illustrated has also dipped its toe in betting. The company teamed up with operator 888 Holdings for the launch of its “world-class online sportsbook” in Colorado this September. Other states will follow at a later date, according to the media giant, although these are not yet confirmed.

Source: https://www.vegasslotsonline.com/news/2021/11/17/twitter-considers-sports-betting-space-as-nfl-college-football-engagement-grows/