By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
In these strange sports times, baseball fans can find joy in tracking games in the Texas Collegiate League. And this circuit of college baseball players got some advice from a Las Vegas-based company that helped the league on becoming a viable and legal sports betting option in any state or sportsbook that wants to offer odds on the games.
There’s not a lot of sports and games to bet on these days, but sports bettors can place wagers on games in the 10-team Texas Collegiate League, which begins play at minor league ballparks and ball yards in cities like Round Rock, San Antonio and Amarillo. The league also includes ballparks in Oklahoma and Louisiana in its 17th season. This league is getting attention during the COVID-19 pandemic because the well-known summer leagues in Cape Cod and Alaska are shut down because of the coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of more than 127,000 Americans.
And the sports betting adviser for this Texas baseball circuit is U.S. Integrity, which knows that sports betting is available in 13 U.S. states and that sportsbooks are hungry for games and odds to post.
“They understand the world of betting better than anyone I’ve interacted with. They know the right people in the industry,” said Uri Geva, president of the Texas Collegiate League, which has two Triple A ballparks and three Double A stadiums in the league. “They immediately gave us credibility.”
Giving sports gamblers options during these dry sports betting times also is a good opportunity to give more exposure and publicity to the league. “We have fans in every state who will be watching TCL TV. If they are in nearby states (like Iowa, Arkansas and New Mexico) or baseball hotbeds like Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania… sports betting will increase interest and eyeballs on our league,” he said.
“Having that partnership and ability to navigate the complex world of commissions and bet lines and how information flows to the sports books has been fantastic,” Geva told LVSportsBiz.com.
Matt Holt, U.S. Integrity founder and CEO, said
“We helped position the league from a data and integrity perspective, and the interest from the sportsbooks was instant,” Holt said.
Don Best Sports is providing international rotation numbers and distributing to its global network of sports books. U.S. Integrity will monitor all betting activity and provide the TCL with 24/7 access to a proprietary dashboard that flags suspicious betting activity.
“TCL players come from 20 plus states and dozens of schools from coast to coast,” Geva said.
For 17 years, the Texas Collegiate League has been a place for college baseball players to showcase their talents for Major League Baseball scouts. This year, the 10 teams will play 30 games apiece from June 30 to August 2, with playoffs concluding on August 8.
The league maintains working relationships with college baseball programs throughout the country and features players from the Pac-12, SEC, Big 12, WCC, Missouri Valley, Sun Belt and Southland conferences. More than 250 TCL alumni have signed professional baseball contracts with Major League Baseball organizations or Independent pro leagues.
Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter and Instagram. Like LVSportsBiz.com on Facebook. Buy Alan Snel’s new book by emailing him at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com.