Is Twitter Getting Into Sports Betting?

For many, Twitter has become the “second screen” for their sports viewing. Modern sports fans are used to having their eyes dart back and forth between the TV and their phones, reading updates and sharing their opinions. With the lightning-quick real-time nature of the social media platform, it makes sense that they’ve attempted to break into the sports world before. Before the end of the 2016 season, Twitter had a deal with the NFL to stream Thursday Night Football games, with Amazon scooping up the rights shortly afterward. Well, with some recent positive numbers relating to Twitter, there’s some speculation they could focus more on the next big thing in sports: sports betting. Here’s why some believe the social media giant should consider a move into wagering.

Twitter’s On the Grow

Despite being in the mainstream for over a decade, Twitter has seen an interesting jump over the past year. Daily active users that could be monetized by the site have increased 211 million in a recent quarterly report, representing a 13% increase from year to year. Additionally, the numbers are strong on engagement during sports games this year. For NFL games this season, an average of 250,000 tweets have been posted during every NFL game, showing an 11% jump in activity. College football got plenty of attention on social media as well, with unique authors seeing a 35% jump in activity during games through the month of September.

Twitter’s numbers overall are on the upswing as well. The social media platform has seen a major jump in advertising revenue from year to year, up 41% according to a third quarter report. Twitter has also recently unveiled Twitter Blue, a paid tier of the site that is meant to amplify the overall experience and cut down on ads while scrolling around. Twitter Blue currently costs users $2.99 per month.

Could Twitter Get More Involved In Sports Betting?

While Twitter’s real-time aspects make it a sports bettor’s dream, the platform still has yet to partner with any of the sportsbooks that commonly advertise through it, such as DraftKings, Caesars Sportsbook, and FanDuel. However, don’t rule out the idea of Twitter going big on sports wagering, considering the company’s own growth mixed with the increasing amount of areas legalizing sports betting. According to manager of United States Sports Partnerships for Twitter David Herman, the company is weighing its options with the growing sports betting world, mentioning that legality in only certain states is a factor in the decision to move forward in the space. Considering Twitter’s massive user base and popularity with sports fans, an exclusive deal with a sportsbook would likely be mutually beneficial.

Interesting Twitter Sports Notes

With live sporting events getting much closer to normal compared to a year ago, the number of tweets related to sports have seen an uptick. Looking at September from year to year, posts about betting on the NFL are up 22%, with an 11% growth in tweets about fantasy football. Through Week 9 of the NFL season, the Green Bay Packers have been the most-discussed team on Twitter, with the NFL kickoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers being the most talked about matchup. On a mildly related note, tweets about beer are up 53% year over year.