Cricket Betting – how do sponsored sportsbooks affect wagering habits?

Over the past five years, the US has undergone something of a revolution in sports betting. It all began with a Supreme Court decision in May 2018 that PASPA, a 1992 Act that placed a federal ban on sports betting, was unconstitutional. It came about as a result of tireless lobbying by New Jersey lawmakers, and it meant every US state could decide for itself on whether to allow sports betting and under what terms. 

The subsequent five years have seen 37 states legalize sports betting. But that is only part of the revolution. Sportsbooks have become increasingly influential, and a ruling by the International Cricket Council that sportsbooks can sponsor teams and tournaments under certain circumstances will have been greeted with relief by one gambling company in particular.

Betway snares betting rights to the new MLC competition

The inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) tournament launched on July 13^th, and the opening game was a sell-out. Unsurprisingly, there was a strong showing at the newly opened Grande Prairie Stadium from the Indian community, and as the shouting, whistling and drum playing got underway, you could have been forgiven for thinking yourself in Delhi, not Dallas. 

Betway group, the Malta-based sportsbook with a global footprint, has been announced as official gambling partner for MLC. Betway is one of the best-known betting companies in the world, and this Betway sports review provides a full run down on the company, from its difficult beginning to its ascendency to an industry leader. 

MLC was always going to be a magnet for sports betting, but what sort of influence will having Betway as an official partner have on MLC betting habits?

New cricket punters are ready to be guided

The vibe at the opening game demonstrated that right now, it is America’s significant Indian expat community that constitutes MLC’s primary audience. That is to be expected, and a similar pattern was observed when MLS first launched 30 years ago. Cricket is by far the most popular sport in the Indian subcontinent, and US fans of Indian origin will need no advice from the sportsbooks on how to place their bets. 

However, the medium to long term aim is to grow cricket’s popularity in the US, and that means extending the fanbase beyond those with Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi roots. Again, there is the precedent of MLS, so there is every chance that MLC will catch on with Americans from all backgrounds. 

We have already mentioned that placing a bet is an important part of the sporting experience in America, so Betway will have a vital role to play in growing the sport, one that extends beyond posting odds for each game and for the overall championship.

Specifically, cricket novices will most likely turn to Betway for guidance on how to bet on cricket and the sort of bets that can be placed. Looking at it this way, we might see quite different betting patterns emerge compared to, let’s say, England. Here, the English Cricket Board has maintained a distance from betting companies since the time of its own close partnership with Betfair between 2009 and 2015. 

All the sports betting providers take bets on the cricket, but at the same time, they maintain an arms length approach, and people tend to place simple bets in the way with which they are familiar.

Expect Betway to be highly hands-on in its role, and to do its best to educate cricket’s new American fans not only in the game itself but in the more complex bets that can be placed. For example, Betway is very proud of its live betting option, where you can place odds while the game is in progress. T20 cricket is an ideal sport for live betting, as games can twist and turn so dramatically and so fast – as the popular commentator cliché goes, “add two quick wickets to the scorecard and things look quite different.”

So do sponsors affect gambling habits in cricket?

Ordinarily, in established markets, the influence of sports sponsorship on betting habits is likely to be limited to a potential shift in market share through promotions and so on. With MLC, however, Betway has the chance to shape cricket betting habits in a new market from a clean sheet.

Live betting is just one area that they are likely to promote. Beyond that, things will be a lot clearer in a few weeks when the inaugural MLC reaches its conclusion.