LIV Golf Partners With Simplebet to Deliver Micro-Betting on Golf

Golf betting is going to a new level with LIV Golf’s Wednesday announcement that it has partnered with Simplebet, a leading provider of micro-betting technology.

The new partnership will see the pair join forces to provide micro-betting services to golf bettors, such as whether the next drive will land in the fairway or rough, or if a golfer will make their next putt. Simplebet will disseminate real-time data and information to legal U.S. sportsbooks to give players up-to-the-second betting access.

Simplebet will also help provide low-latency video streaming of different golf events and competitions.

The agreement between LIV Golf and Simplebet will open a new corner of the golf betting market and will help drive the sport into the future with the help of sports betting, the fastest-growing form of sports entertainment.

“This is a transcendent moment for the sport and we are thrilled to serve as the Official Sports Betting Innovation Partner of LIV Golf,” said Simplebet CEO Chris Bevilacqua. “We’ve revolutionized the way audiences around the world connect with live sports by unlocking fan engagement opportunities and together with LIV Golf, we will create the new blueprint for how sports leagues can maximize their IP through innovative betting.”

Fans will be able to use the Simplebet technology to place bets from the first to the last shot of a round of golf. Players can wager on just one or as many shots as they please, and on whichever hole they choose.

The Wednesday announcement comes just one day after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission denied LIV Golf’s attempt to offer betting markets on DraftKings out of concerns about the morality of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the group that owns the tour.

LIV is also being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice because of a recent merger it agreed to with the PGA Tour that will see the pair combine their assets.

The merger made waves but does not actually promise much aside from the end of a few legal disputes. Both groups must still agree upon what their assets are worth and how the future of golf competitions will be structured.

Simplebet, founded in 2018, is on a stark upward trajectory in the gambling world. It partnered with ClutchBet, which has jurisdiction in Colorado and Iowa, in June and will help provide technology for micro-betting. It also previously struck deals with Hard Rock and Bet365, among other entities.

Simplebet revealed last month that its NBA micro-betting markets grew 350% year-to-year during the 2022-23 NBA campaign. It also shared that more than 200,000 unique users wagered over $47 million during the NBA playoffs, over five times higher than the 2021-22 playoffs.

Micro-betting is also taking off even outside of Simplebet-affiliated companies. Betr, co-owned by internet star-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, is a micro-betting-focused betting platform that is licensed in Ohio and Massachusetts and has been making waves. It accepted more than $1.1 million in bets in its first month of operation in Ohio, Paul’s home state, “despite no material paid advertising.”

Golf has not been among the most popular sports to bet on in America—that title has been reserved for football, basketball, and baseball. But with the increase in publicity because of the LIV Golf, and also the new betting markets, golf betting should be in for an uptick in presence and visibility.

LIV’s next event is LIV Golf Greenbrier from August 4-6 at The Old White at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.