Living betting is coming to NBA League Pass. 

The league and Sportradar are partnering to allow bettors to place wagers via the app through FanDuel and DraftKings Sportsbook in states where online sports gambling is legal. 

NBA League Pass viewers will be able to opt-in to the platform’s betting view, which will feature point spreads, over-unders and moneyline odds. 

Bettors will be able to select picks on the app before being redirected to one of the online sportsbooks to place their wager. The initiative is powered by emBET, Sportradar’s over-the-top (OTT) solution. 

“emBET is an exciting innovation for NBA fans, making in-play betting more engaging and immersive,” Sportradar’s Patrick Mostboeck said. “Through our exclusive partnership with the NBA, we’re committed to develop next-generation, value-added products and services, like emBET, to drive fan and bettor engagement.”

Point spreads, over-unders and moneyline bets are the only types of wagers that will be available at the outset of the partnership, according to a joint press release from the NBA and Sportradar. 

This means, for now, there will be no over/under player prop bets on the platform.

“Integrating emBET is consistent with the NBA’s vision to create hyper-personalized and customized viewing experiences within NBA games,” NBA Executive Vice President of Media and Gaming Scott Kaufman-Ross said. “For NBA fans who want to wager on our games during live action, they can now elect to receive contextualized betting information directly on NBA League Pass.”

The move marks yet another step into the sports gambling world for the NBA. 

For decades, the league advocated against gambling until commissioner Adam Silver came out in favor of legalized and regulated sports betting in 2014.

Betting on the NBA?

By 2021, the NBA had named FanDuel and DraftKings its official sports betting partners.

Four NBA arenas, including the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Footprint Center in Phoenix, Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. and United Center in Chicago, feature physical sportsbooks inside the venue.  

In January, the league’s biggest star, LeBron James, announced that he was partnering with DraftKings to give out NFL picks.