Could Biking Become a Major Player in the Sports Gaming Industry?

February 25, 2022

Will Biking/Cycling Soon Join The Sports Gaming World?

The “Big Four” professional sports leagues in North America – the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL — all have partnerships with prominent sportsbooks.

In 2021, the NFL struck partnerships with seven sportsbooks: Caesars Entertainment, FanDuel, DraftKings, WynnBET, PointsBet, FOX Bet, and BetMGM.

Simply put, the gaming industry has been a massive moneymaker for U.S. states and the big four professional sports leagues. So one can’t help but wonder if the biking industry will find its way into the world of sports gaming?

Biking/cycling fans can bet on major events such as the Tour de France. This year’s event will be held from July 1 to July 24, beginning in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Tour de France will conclude at Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, France.

Phoenix, Arizona native and cyclist Brandon McNulty is a dark horse candidate to win the 2022 Tour de France. FanDuel Arizona is one of the state’s top sportsbooks, and they’re currently offering customers up to $1,000 in risk-free bets.

There are plenty of roadblocks that the biking industry must get past if the sport is to enter the gaming industry.

Many Obstacles to Overcome

In 2018, VeloNews analyzed the possibility of cycling joining the gaming industry. The article pointed out the major advantages that cycling has in the United States, noting that it’s “behind most other sports in terms of its broadcasting options and market reach.”

As VeloNews pointed out, America is a major player in the gaming world. That’s one thing going for biking/cycling, but it simply doesn’t have the audience of prominent sports leagues.

Furthermore, the industries’ list of scandals could very much sway sports fanatics away from cycling. The Tour de France alone has had dozens of doping scandals and allegations since the event was launched 119 years ago.

Lance Armstrong, once regarded as one of the all-time great athletes and cyclists, won seven Tour de France titles that were subsequently stripped following the news that he was involved in a doping scandal.

2006 Tour de France winner, Floyd Landis, was stripped of his title following a positive test on PEDS.

The Tour de France hasn’t exactly seen strong viewership over the United States, as VeloNews mentioned. NBC, which broadcast the 2017 race, averaged 298,000 viewers over the event’s first 15 stages. This was a major drop from the viewership for the 2005 event that averaged more than 1.5 million viewers.

Biking/Cycling: Way Behind the Major Sports Leagues

The professional sports gaming industry has grown rapidly throughout North America over the past three years.

In May 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. The act had essentially prohibited sports gaming throughout most states in America.

The SCOTUS overturned the act, arguing that it violated the Tenth Amendment. The ruling allowed the legalization of sports gaming across all the states.

Soon after the ruling, the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Mississippi joined Nevada by legalizing some form of gaming. In the early weeks of 2022, the states of New York and Louisiana

One just has to think about how long it took for the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL to welcome gaming. The NFL, led by commissioner Goodell, spent so many years trying to prevent sports gaming from entering their league.

But at the end of the day, money talks. The big four professional sports leagues make billions of dollars in revenue annually, and partnering up with major sportsbooks like FanDuel, Caesars and BetMGM are easy money makers.

This isn’t to say that cycling will never become a prominent player in the sports gaming industry. But it’s obvious that in the United States especially, a larger audience and following is needed for the possibility to happen.

The Tour de France and its US broadcast partners, for instance, should work on a long-term plan to further grow the general interest in the cycling industry. If that happens, sports gaming in cycling may just take off once and for all.

There are simply too many obstacles and hardships to get past for it to become a reality in the near future. In short, the cycling/biking industry has a long way to go.

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