Baseball fans are now able to watch every minor league baseball game. Bally Casino announced it will stream all MLB minor league games on its Bally Live App starting April 6.
Phillies fans that want to check out the organization’s top prospects can do it for free.
With the casino giant coming to PA in the near future, this could lead to crossovers between the Pennsylvania online casino, its rewards program and even sports betting. It could also change the way fans watch sports in the future.
How to stream minor league baseball games with Bally’s
Baseball fans will be able to stream all 120 minor league teams on the Bally Live App, according to the New York Post.
It does not appear that streaming services will be on the actual online casino app.
Fans had to pay $29.99 a year on the MLB At Bat Live app to watch minor league games previously. Now with Bally, fans won’t have to pay a dime.
What streaming on Bally’s could mean for the PA online casino
MLB’s partnership with Bally’s gives the league access to 750,000 monthly online players compared to the 40,000 MLB At Bat Live subscribers.
The deal is going to bring “unmatched gamification” to fans. Some of those efforts include free games, such as Baseball Bingo and chances to win Bally’s Reward points.
MLB awarded fans “experience points” for playing free games, such as Beat The Streak and Quick Pitch, through an MLB.com account. Fans collected points and virtual trophies to customize their profile and win MLB memorabilia, merchandise, tickets and more.
The gaming operator could offer similar programs and games through the Bally Live App that can crossover to its online casino.
Bally online casino launching in PA
Bally online casino is the newest Pennsylvania betting platform coming to the Keystone State.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) granted Bally’s petition as Qualified Gaming Entity (QGE) to launch online slots and table games in Pennsylvania.
Partnering with a land-based casino is not required with QGE status.
Bally’s is also seeking to bring a mini-casino to State College, but is currently undergoing an appeal process before the PA Supreme Court.
The online operation to Bally’s would bring Pennsylvanians another online casino and Phillies minor league baseball.
The future of streaming sports
Fans that stream minor league games on the Bally Live App will not be able to bet on games. However, it’s possible that betting could come into play for the highest levels of professional sports.
Diamond Sports Group, a Sinclair subsidiary that is known to viewers as Bally Sports, filed for bankruptcy earlier this month. The network controls the regional sports networks (RSNs) for 42 teams across the MLB, NBA and NHL. While Diamond Sports Group CEO David Preschlack still intends to broadcast games, he alluded to baseball moving to streaming.
“Despite Diamond’s economic situation, there is every expectation that they will continue televising all games they are committed to during the bankruptcy process,” he said in a statement. “Major League Baseball is ready to produce and distribute games to fans in their local markets in the event that Diamond or any other regional sports network is unable to do so as required by their agreement with our clubs.”
Pennsylvania sports teams already impacted
Though none of this affects the Philadelphia sports teams yet, it could impact the Pirates and Penguins. These teams broadcast their games on AT&T SportsNet, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who is exiting the regional sports business.
The Pirates and Penguins have until the end of the month to buy back the rights, or else the channel will undergo a Chapter 7 liquidation filing. That could likely mean the end of Pirates and Penguins games in Pittsburgh living rooms.
With RSNs failing across the country, it could lead to online sportsbook and casino operators swooping in. FanDuel PA Sportsbook has started the streaming trend by buying TVG. Horse racing fans are able to stream races live on the TVG app.
With possible crossover promotion opportunities between sports betting and online casino operators through streaming, it might not be long before you’re logging into a sports betting app to watch a game.
