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NBC Sports Chicago and Philadelphia Join Forces for a “BetCast” Alternate Broadcast

NBC Sports Chicago and NBC Sports Philadelphia are teaming up for a unique broadcast for an upcoming Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers NBA game. According to Sports Business Journal, the two NBC Sports regional sports networks (RSNs) will join forces for a BetCast alternate broadcast.

For the March 7 tilt between the Bulls and Sixers, the alternate “BetCast” will have live odds data on-screen, including over/unders, moving money lines, and player prop bets. Sara Perlman will host the telecast, joined by 76ers analyst Jim Lynam, Bulls analyst Kendall Gill, and PointsBet’s head oddsmaker Jay Croucher. The “BetCast” will also host a “Pick n’ Roll” contest on NBC Sports’ Predictor app with a chance to win a $50,000 jackpot.

This won’t be NBC Sports’ first BetCast, nor the first to feature either of these teams. Last year, NBC Sports Chicago produced a BetCast for a Bulls and Hornets game, and NBC Sports Philadelphia teamed up with NBC Sports Washington for Wizards and Sixers games in 2018 and 2019.

As states continue to legalize sports betting, gambling-themed telecasts have increased in popularity. Live TV streaming services like fuboTV, Sling TV, as well as on-demand streaming services like ESPN+ and DAZN have integrated gambling lines into main and alternate broadcasts in some instances.

SportsGrid, a FAST (free ad-supported television) channel dedicated to sports betting, is featured heavily on most free and streaming TV services, like Roku, Samsung TV Plus, PLEX, YouTube TV, and more.

fubotTV is taking things one step further with its Fubo Sportsbook, a dedicated sportsbook that can integrate with its live TV streaming platform and allow users to make plays while watching the action live. Currently, Fubo Sportsbook has varying levels of market access in 10 states, with actual gambling availability only in Iowa and Arizona, and 30% of fuboTV subs in those states have a Fubo Sportsbook account.

It’s clear that sports gambling isn’t just for back alleys, big-box store parking lots, and seedy foreign websites anymore. Broadcasts like the “BetCast” are the next step to making the practice more mainstream. But where can we go from here?

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Jeff Kotuby is a contributing writer to The Streamable who specializes in sports, music, and all things Japanese media. He cut the cord in 2017 and has spent the last six years of his career writing for technology, entertainment, and healthcare websites. He's a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles and Anaheim Ducks fan, but also enjoys watching animated shows from the '90s.

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