The much-anticipated Barstool Sportsbook, which debuts Tuesday in Pennsylvania, will offer trends and information from GTG Network, an Australian company that distills trillions of data points into both insights and gamified contests.
GTG will provide information across all major sports, helping bettors on both pro and college games uncover tip and tendencies to help structure their wagers. It’s one of the GTG’s biggest U.S. deals to date, and one that should grow its brand awareness across the country.
The company’s data produces more than 20,000 facts about each game, which creates a number of filters for bettors to find patterns. As an example, if you wanted to know how the Los Angeles Lakers have performed over the past 10 years at home as a favorite on a Wednesday night after a two-day break where they’d played more than 700 miles away at an altitude 500 feet higher than Staples Center, GTG can deliver that answer.
“Data is really a big part of the way that U.S. sports fans engage with sports,” said GTG co-founder Nathan Rothschild, who declined to comment on the terms of the deal. “Our business is really designed to capitalize on that.”
The Barstool Sportsbook is a partnership between Barstool Sports and Penn National Gaming, which recently invested $163 million in the controversial media brand. The app has been approved for a test period this week and expects to launch fully in Pennsylvania on Friday. Other states will follow in the coming months.
The app will be closely watched across both media and gambling. There’s been a number of tie-ups across both industries—NBC with PointsBet; CBS with William Hill—but none are as intriguing, or eagerly awaited, as Barstool’s work with Penn National.
The media company, founded by firebrand Dave Portnoy, says it reaches 39% of men and 35% of women in the millennial and Gen Z generations in the U.S. on a monthly basis. On paper the demographic lines up well with sports gamblers, and Barstool’s personality-driven approach could provide a roadmap for other media companies as they look to convert their consumers into gamblers.
Penn National’s stock price has more than doubled since the Barstool acquisition was announced.
The goal in this deal for Penn National is to keep users on the Barstool Sportsbook app, and incorporating GTG’s data means bettors will be less likely to look elsewhere for statistical insight.
Rothschild said the company uses trillions of data points—from sources ranging from Sportradar to mapping software—to create its full suite of information. In addition to the raw data, the company offers products that turn it into content, including free-to-play pick ’em contests, arcade games and trivia.
Based in Melbourne, GTG is backed by venture capital firm Regentbay Investments. Rothschild said the U.S. is the company’s most important international market.
“In terms of our focus moving forward, it’s probably No. 1, 2 and 3,” Rothschild said. “There’s heap of opportunity for us, and while we’re really early on in our process, we’ve already landed some really big names as clients.”
In addition to the work on the Barstool Sportsbook, the company has partnered with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, the Los Angeles Lakers and the USGA.
(This story has been updated with data on Barstool’s audience reach for men and women in the seventh paragraph.)