The PGA Tour announced a partnership with BetMGM, bringing live betting odds to this week’s telecast of all four rounds for The CJ Cup at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. The tournament will air Thursday through Sunday on The Golf Channel.
According to the agreement, betting odds will be shown on the telecast twice an hour featuring leaderboards with integrated open and current odds to win, odds for head-to-head matchups, top finishes, winning margin, hole-in-ones, playoffs, and other props.
“The focus of our sports betting partnerships is to engage fans in new and creative ways,” Norb Gambuzza, PGA Tour senior vice president for media and gaming, said in the press release. “As an element of this strategy, we began integrating live odds onto digital platforms in August and now we look forward to learning from this first-time test in a live telecast.”
The mentioned integrated live odds onto digital platforms in August came during the first two rounds of the Wyndham Championship, when OTT streaming platform PGA Tour Live featured live odds on their tournament coverage. This came less than two weeks after the PGA Tour announced a multiyear content partnership with BetMGM to become their official betting operator.
The PGA has received mixed TV ratings this season since returning from their pandemic caused hiatus, and having to compete with the NFL is a nearly impossible task. But one way to keep viewers engaged on a Sunday, even with a middling leaderboard, is by offering a focus on betting.