Betting technology and services specialist Sportradar AG has formed a formal, multi-year partnership with BetChicago, a source for Chicago sports betting news and analysis, in anticipation of legalised sports betting in Illinois. Under the auspices of the deal, Sportradar’s media products have been integrated on the newly launched BetChicago.com website to enhance its sports betting media content with premium sports data and content solutions.

Should sports gambling become legal in Illinois, Sportradar will provide risk management and data services to BetChicago.

Frank Ignatius, CEO of BetChicago, heralded the partnership with Sportradar as a “great first step” for his firm. He commented: “By partnering with the most innovative and technologically advanced vendor in this industry, BetChicago has elevated its brand and stayed true to its goal of offering best-in-class content and technology.

“Live, accurate, real-time data is essential to BetChicago the media company, and will be even more critical in the future with the imminent legalisation of sports betting in Illinois. We believe the future of this industry is directly tied to live betting and other real-time functionality, so a deal with the leader in sports data is a natural fit.”

Neale Deeley, VP gaming salses for Sportradar, noted: “It truly is an exciting time in the United States for sports betting and we’re delighted to partner with BetChicago as they proactively look to provide sports fans in Illinois with the highest quality betting technology, services and content. This partnership shows that Sportradar is not only committed to working with big partners in the United States, but also identifying new market entrants that we believe we can support and elevate with our systems.”