Sports gambling is coming out of the shadows in a big way with more and more states legalizing gambling in general whether it be via lottery expansion or even video poker and slot machines. On that front, Fubo Gaming, a subsidiary streaming platform fuboTV Inc. (NYSE: FUBO), today announced that it is live in the mobile sports betting market with the official launch of Fubo Sportsbook in Iowa. The sportsbook is available now for sports bettors 21 years of age and older in the Hawkeye state to wager on thousands of professional and collegiate sporting events using the Fubo Sportsbook mobile app, which is integrated with fuboTV’s live TV streaming platform.
According to the streaming company, Fubo Sportsbook is purpose-built to meet U.S. sports fans’ growing demand for interactivity through an industry-first integration of an owned-and-operated sports wagering platform with a live TV streaming experience.
By integrating with fuboTV, the mobile app delivers a personalized omniscreen experience that turns passive viewers into active and engaged participants. Fubo Sportsbook is launching with a unique feature, Watching Now, which leverages fuboTV’s first-party user data to allow users to instantly view wagering content based upon what they are streaming – even as they change the channel. Fubo Gaming intends to continue iterating the app, launching additional features, subject to regulatory approval, that will further integrate wagering into the fuboTV platform, to create an even more immersive and personalized experience.
“We’re thrilled to launch Fubo Sportsbook and begin to bring U.S. sports fans a next-level interactive viewing and betting experience — one entirely tailored to the sports and entertainment they care about most,” said Scott Butera, president of Fubo Gaming. “As the industry continues to expand, it is increasingly important to meet sports fans’ growing demand for personalized and immersive experiences. By integrating with fuboTV, we aim to make that a reality.”
According to a study by Gabelli Securities and the US Census Bureau, U.S. sports betting revenue is expected to grow from a projected $2.1 billion in 2021 to $10.1 billion in 2028. Additionally, recent research from TDG reveals that 54 million households will be broadband-only by 2025, a 42% increase from 2020, in part because over-the-top media services can deliver highly personalized experiences that linear TV cannot.
“fuboTV’s vision to define a new category of interactive sports and entertainment television takes another major step forward with the launch of Fubo Sportsbook,” said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO of fuboTV. “This is a pivotal moment not just for fuboTV, but for the U.S. sports wagering and entertainment industries because it is the first time the two are truly coming together in one ecosystem. It’s important to realize that Fubo Sportsbook is not simply an add-on product to fuboTV, but a product synced with the live TV streaming experience. We expect this integration will create a flywheel that improves engagement and retention, as well as drives advertising revenue. In the coming months, we plan to further integrate our sportsbook with fuboTV to create a comprehensive and engaging TV and wagering experience.”
Fubo Gaming received regulatory approvals via a market agreement with Casino Queen to go live with mobile and/or retail betting operations within the state of Iowa. The company has also obtained market access agreements in four other states, including Pennsylvania via The Cordish Companies, Indiana and New Jersey via Caesars Entertainment Inc. and Arizona via the Ak-Chin Indian Community, where it also has been granted a Management Services Provider Certification from the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG). The company expects to announce the launch of Fubo Sportsbook in additional markets in 2021 and during 2022, subject to requisite regulatory approvals. The company has partnerships with NASCAR, and the New York Jets (NFL) and, as an Authorized Gaming Operator (AGO) with the NBA, a multi-year agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA).
Fubo Sportsbook is available now at www.fubosportsbook.com or for download via iOS. For more information, follow @fubosportsbook on Twitter and Instagram.
