Sports collaboration with EHF, together in action
The European Handball Federation (EHF) and EHF Marketing GmbH (EHFM) have announced a significant extension of their partnership with Sportradar, a leading global provider of sports data and content, until 2030. This expanded agreement will see Sportradar serve as the official data partner for both the EHF and EHFM, bringing a host of benefits to bookmakers, sports betting customers, and online casinos.
Martin Hausleitner, Secretary General of the EHF, believes this expanded partnership marks a crucial step in propelling European handball into a new era, aiming to deepen live scouting data. The agreement covers more than 750 European Cup games per season across all European top competitions, as well as over 1,500 national team and beach handball games.
For bookmakers, the partnership offers access to official, high-quality data, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of data used for creating betting markets and setting odds. This enhanced data will enable bookmakers to offer more in-depth and diverse betting options, including live betting on detailed in-game events, attracting more customers and increasing betting turnover. Improved risk management is also expected, as official data feeds enable real-time monitoring of games, reducing fraud risks and enabling quicker reaction to game developments.
Sports betting customers will benefit from a wider variety of betting markets and more accurate odds due to official and real-time data. The partnership increases transparency and confidence in betting outcomes, making markets more reliable and trustworthy. Enhanced live betting will also allow bettors to make more informed decisions during matches, increasing engagement and satisfaction.
Online casinos involved in offering sports betting or hybrid products may see the integration of handball betting into casino platforms, providing enhanced content and betting options related to handball events to complement their offerings. Leveraging the popularity of handball, there may be potential cross-promotion opportunities to attract sports bettors into casino products or vice versa. Improved analytics and player engagement tools based on official data may also be implemented.
The collaboration between the EHF, EHFM, and Sportradar began in June 2017 and has since expanded to include educational programs training staff of the associations in relevant guidelines regarding sports betting and illegal match-fixing. Sportradar will use advanced AI systems to enhance data analysis and improve data traffic in handball, while the EHF can utilize Sportradar's "Integrity Services," which are tailored audits that help implement integrity programs.
While the partnership aims to enhance the quality and scope of handball betting products, concerns about an increase in match-fixing have arisen due to different start dates for top-tier leagues across Europe, potentially concentrating criminal activities on individual markets. However, legal expert Carsten Thiel von Herff argues that only the betting volume will increase, not the number of manipulations.
The potential for data can now be fully exploited with the expanded cooperation between EHF, EHFM, and Sportradar. The EHF Champions League data will now be at EHF European League standard from the first rounds, enhancing top-level scouting. Sportradar will continue to distribute all official EHF data to various media, betting providers, and casinos, ensuring a wide reach for this valuable information.
[1] This extended partnership until 2030 reflects a long-term commitment to enhancing the quality and scope of handball betting products, benefiting all stakeholders by ensuring official, reliable data underpins betting activities.
What about the possibility of Sportsradar expanding its partnership beyond handball, venturing into the world of football as well? This could provide an even broader range of betting options for both sports betting customers and online casinos.
With the extended partnership until 2030, it will be intriguing to observe if this commitment marks a stepping stone towards a more diversified sports data market involving football, further benefiting all stakeholders.
