The NCAA has struck a new deal with Genius Sports to allow official data from its championship events, including March Madness, to be provided exclusively to licensed sportsbooks all the way up to 2032.
If you’re surprised you’re not alone, as this is a significant shift from the NCAA’s previously cautious stance toward sports betting.
Genius Sports will now have the exclusive rights to distribute live NCAA data to sportsbooks, granting them access to valuable official feeds, logos, and trademarks.
If sportsbooks want to participate though, they must agree to strict betting regulations designed to protect student athletes and ensure game integrity.
What these rules also put in place is a wager prohibition on controversial markets such as referee decisions, player injuries, and negative or underperformance outcomes.
Tim Buckley, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for the NCAA, explained the decision: “The NCAA has and will continue to be a national leader in advancing responsible gaming policies. This extended partnership with Genius Sports continues that commitment with a first-of-its-kind ban on high-risk proposition bets, specifically underperformance wagers, negative outcome bets, and wagers on injuries, officials’ decisions, or fan-voted awards.”
Sportsbooks joining the NCAA’s Authorized Gaming Licensee (AGL) program must also cooperate fully with any future integrity investigations, providing comprehensive access to relevant geolocation data and wagering records.
While this partnership does showcase a change of heart by the NCAA, which has historically maintained distance from the sports betting industry, it does align with similar deals made by professional leagues.
Critics, however, have expressed concerns that this monetization could spark problems for student athletes, who already face increasing levels of online harassment from angry bettors.
Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports, praised the collaboration, stating, “This extension is a powerful endorsement of our vision, delivering cutting-edge data solutions to support NCAA schools while connecting our sportsbook partners with the highest quality NCAA official content.”
The NCAA hopes to use the revenue from this deal to strengthen its resources aimed at combatting problem gambling and protecting student athletes from betting-related harassment and threats.
However, ongoing discussions continue regarding whether these measures are sufficient given how fast sports betting is growing.
