Apple Is Launching A New Sports App, But It Is For Sports Betting?

As the new season of Major League Soccer (MLS) begins in the US, Apple has launched a new sports app. We created Apple Sports to give sports fans what they want — an app that delivers incredibly fast access to scores and stats, said Eddy Cue, a senior executive at the company, in a press release.

However, even though sports fans do want such a service, they have already received this information through many other sports apps. In fact, compared to competing software like ESPN, Apple's app is relatively primitive: If an app's data does not include major events like the UEFA Champions League, the English FA Cup, or others, soccer fans usually don't find the app useful.

In addition, for American sports fans, the app currently does not provide data for the NFL and MLB, but Apple insists that the data will be in place in time for the next season of the two sports.

So what's going on? Why does Apple now want to launch a basic sports app without the world's most important matches?

One theory is that this is designed to generate more interest in MLS, and by extension, Lionel Messi's performances. Since the Argentine star joined last year, the league has seen increases in viewership, attendance, and merchandise sales.

But compared to the high-paced games in Europe, the tournament remains a rather dull alternative. Apple Sports could remind users that MLS games are happening and get them to watch them on Apple TV.

In fact, all the sporting events listed in the app so far lack any prompt on how fans can actually watch them. This could have been a significant feature of the Apple app. As a soccer fan living in the era of streaming, you are constantly googling to find out which of at least five different platforms might be broadcasting a particular game.

Apple's app, at least in its current form, doesn't seem inclined to alleviate this confusion.

Meanwhile, there is another very surprising theory - Apple is aiming for a betting app.

The believers of this theory think, that instead of getting extra information like kick-off time or team stats, users will find a betting odds panel. At present, this panel just shows match odds provided by DraftKings; It's not possible to place a bet within the app, nor is there a link provided to a platform where you could.

Why did DraftKings agree to such a deal? Analysts speculate that this could be a step towards a larger collaboration, which could see millions of sports fans who own iPhones funneled into the burgeoning online gambling scene.

Given the possibility of no longer earning significant commissions from App Store sales, Apple has located a potential goldmine: according to Insider Intelligence, by 2024, revenue generated by online betting apps in the US (total bets minus paid-out winnings) should be just over $14 billion.

This is startling, as such a move seems at odds with the brand image that Apple has painstakingly cultivated over the past few decades. Even if Apple keeps a certain distance from the actual betting business, there are huge risks involved.

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