US PGA Tour clears sports betting in golf

Starting next year, sports betting will include golf competitions organised by the US PGA Tour, as the governing body approved the segment.

US.- The sports betting liberalisation in the US has pushed states to gradually regulate the segment. However, sports governing bodies are also trying to update their own rules to take advantage of the market.

That’s why the US PGA Tour has cleared golf to enter the sports betting wheel, starting in 2020.

“You’ll start to see the product in the marketplace next year,” US PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said. 

“It’s all about engagement,” Monahan explained about how he sees sports betting in golf. “When done right, it gives fans the opportunity to engage with your sport over a longer period of time and has more interest in what’s happening across the entire playing field.”

“It’s legalised in a lot of international markets and we’ve put the right systems in place. Both in terms of an integrity programme and monitoring activity,” Monahan stated.

“As it is becoming legalised by the state in the US, you can either participate or not. We feel smarter to be participating… versus let others control it,” he added.

“Once you start to participate, you can eliminate negative bets,” he said about sports betting in golf. “We’ve done a ton of work to make certain that that’s the position we’re in.”