ZURICH (AP) — FIFA on Monday deepened its commercial relationship with the gambling industry with a four-year deal that will allow some gambling operators to live stream World Cup matches this year.
of Transactions with data providers Statistics execution It will run until 2029, in collaboration with brands such as soccer statistics specialist Opta, to “deliver official betting data and livestreams to account holders” for most FIFA competitions.
“It will also grant exclusive betting rights to thousands of matches per season across FIFA member association competitions powered by FIFA+,” the soccer body said, without specifying the value of the deal.
The FIFA+ website (showing select FIFA competitions and lower league matches, as well as many highlights from the World Cup archive) is currently teamed up with Saudi Arabia-backed streaming network DAZN.
FIFA’s commercial alliance with the gambling industry comes despite its code of ethics formally prohibiting players, officials and agents from participating in “bets, gambling, lotteries or similar events or transactions, directly or indirectly, in connection with football matches or competitions”.
FIFA’s last World Cup partnership with gambling was a European regional sponsorship deal for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Chicago-based Stats Perform said: It plans to distribute FIFA betting data “to licensed sports betting operators for use in modeling, trading, settlement, and in-play front-end use.”
The company’s subsidiary, Opta, will provide gambling industry customers with “official player statistics, insights, live scores, and match trackers.”
The Men’s World Cup will begin on June 11th in Mexico City and run until July 19th, with 48 teams playing 104 games in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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