As the U.S. focuses on March Madness bettors in Kentucky will now also be able to get their basketball fix in the virtual world.
SIS Content Services has announced that it is launching ebasketball in the Bluegrass State via its operator partner bet365.
SIS’ ebasketball product is part of the sports betting content provider’s H2H Global Gaming league which hosts over 150,000 live events per year and has been developed specifically for betting.
“As Kentucky is a basketball state, we are confident that our ebasketball product will provide an elevated experience for the bettors on the bet365 platform. Our offices are located in Louisville, so it is meaningful to be part of the sports betting infrastructure in our home state,” said SIS Content Services Vice President Michele Fischer.
According to SIS, this latest news enhances SIS’ reputation as a leading supplier in the esports betting space and widens the audiences that can engage with its competitive gaming content across the U.S.
Kentucky is the third state that SIS has launched its esports products.
It debuted its competitive gaming offering in New Jersey via bet365 in 2022 and later launched in Colorado through bet365 and Betsafe.
“To grow our esports content across the US has been an aim of ours for some time, and to be able to expand our competitive gaming product into a third US state showcases how we are well-placed to deliver engaging wagering experiences to bettors,” added SIS Chief Executive Richard Ames.
Sports betting makes a strong start in Kentucky
Last month the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission released sports betting data for November and December 2023 which helped to give a better picture of the start of sports betting in the state.
Through just over three months of online and retail sports wagering sportsbooks accepted $855 million in wagers, generating $106 million in adjusted gross revenue.
DraftKings and FanDuel led the way in the state with both operators posting $327 million in handle and around $39 million in revenue. Bet365 took third spot as it accepted $66 million in wagers and generated $12.5 million in revenue.
Wagering so far has generated $15 million in tax which is more than two-thirds of the $23 million projected in the first year of the market being open, suggesting that interest in sports betting in Kentucky has so far exceeded expectations.
