The pickleball craze is expanding into sports betting with betting available on the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour in several states.
The PPA first signed a deal with data partner Genius Sports in 2021. Two years later, it is manifesting in live odds on FanDuel Sportsbook in nearly a dozen jurisdictions.
“This is a monumental moment for the PPA Tour and the game of pickleball as a whole,” said PPA Tour Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe. “We are excited to be paving the way in the pickleball sports betting space, and we couldn’t be prouder to lead the sport’s leap into such an innovative industry. The immense growth of pickleball over the past few years has driven widespread interest in all aspects of the game, including playing as amateurs and watching the professionals in person at events and from home. Our venture into sports betting will bring a whole new level of engagement from current and new fans, and we continue to be excited for what the future holds for our sport.”
The states offering pickleball wagering now are:
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Tennessee
- Washington
- Wyoming
Massachusetts only approved the addition of PPA events to the wagering catalog on Thursday. Regulators in Arizona, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are still considering whether or not to add the sport to its catalog. Betting is also available in Ontario.
Genius will provide PPA data both for betting and for broadcast to all participating media and sportsbook partners, which could extend to more than just FanDuel in the future.
“Creating an official data-powered betting product for pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in America, is a crucial platform for the PPA Tour to engage new and existing fans,” said Sean Conroy, Executive Vice President, North America at Genius Sports. “We’re excited to offer sportsbooks with valuable new content including low latency video feeds on PPA Tour events, starting with this weekend’s Vulcan Kansas City Open.”
