Imagine this scenario: you’re relying on Mathew Barzal’s speed. Not in any competition with other players; that’s really a no-brainer given his extraordinary velocity which some argue is even a match for Connor McDavid. The objective here is different – he needs to outdo himself. The context of it all is a random February Tuesday’s game that otherwise would mean absolutely nothing. But it’s essential to you and your wager, which is all about Barzal sprinting beyond a specific mph limit during this encounter. If he pulls this off? You’re in for a substantial reward. It’s all possible with the NHL’s advanced player and puck tracking technologies which now allow us to gauge metrics like skating speed.
This innovative tech lets you personalize your viewing experience so as you watch this Islanders-Coyotes showdown, you can keep tabs on all the bets you’ve laid on the game right on your screen. The best part? As a resident of Canada, you’ve now gained the right to back any particular outcome in this one-off game owing to recent changes in legislation opening up single-game betting. Such a circumstance might’ve seemed far-fetched just a few years back. Today, however, it stands on the brink of becoming the new norm.
This isn’t some future prediction but an impending reality due to unfold in the coming months, not years. The NHL took the significant step of committing to sports betting partnerships a couple of years ago. Its embrace of technology and the easing of certain legislative restrictions in Canada mean that individual game betting and obscure prop bets are poised to become customary profit streams for the NHL.
This is a powerful testament to the NHL’s dedication to expand their sport by leveraging the heightened interactivity it offers. NHL’s chief business officer and executive vice-president of global partnerships, Keith Wachtel, mentions, “Data suggests that when you have some stake in an outcome, you’re likely to be 10 times more engaged in that activity, that could be financial or anything else.
The phenomenon is evident with fantasy football – NFL RedZone has become a religious practice for many who no longer even watch the actual games. I myself find spending the late hours of Monday night hoping for a field goal kicker to make his mark, regardless of whether the teams playing hold any interest for me. That’s the incredible potential that I believe our sport possesses. The social aspect of betting will play a pivot role in magnetizing fan interest in a market where the sport has traditionally been underrepresented.
A key alliance aiding the NHL in this pursuit is with data management firm Sportradar. The company excels in capturing and supplying instantaneous ‘fast data’ stats for top-tier sports leagues on a global scale. Specific betting in hockey poses unique challenges compared to other mainstream sports, like football, primarily due to the dearth of accurate information available on players’ injuries.
It’s a well-known fact in the NFL, if a player so much as stubs a toe, parts of the whole anatomical report are published in a press release. In stark contrast, in the NHL, we are given vague updates such as ‘upper-body’, ‘lower-body’, ‘undisclosed’, or in the age of COVID-19, ‘unfit to play’. As explained from a sportsbook viewpoint, the legendary toughness of hockey players impacts betting by hiding injuries that can significantly affect performance.
Certainly, we can all recall the string of surgeries that are revealed every year after this or that team’s elimination. For players, this toughness is a badge of honor. NFL fans would have been privy to each of those ailments long before.
Interesting to mention is the reason why single-game betting, specifically in Canada where it’s soon becoming lawful, is a game-changer for betting in hockey. It’s likely to discourage bettors from those less probable to win bets – the parlays. Hockey betting will inevitably change its course into the world of single-game guessing around injuries.
Nevertheless, it’s not just injuries that could eat away at the bettors’ cash. Game fixing (or match-fixing, as it’s better known outside North America) has risen to the surface following a slew of serious claims made against the San Jose Sharks left-winger, Evander Kane, this summer by his estranged wife, Anna Kane.
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