Micro-Betting Adapts To Major League Baseball’s New Pitch Timer Rules

On Opening Day of Major League Baseball’s 2023 regular season, enthusiasm and fan equity is evident based on the success of the World Baseball Classic and a record setting offseason in terms of spending with 356 ball players signing contracts worth over $5 billion in value according to Spotrac. The labor drama from a year ago is a distant memory as three significant rule changes have invoked optimism in terms of run scoring, baserunning, and pace of play. According to a memo sent by Major League Baseball to its 30 ball clubs, the pitch timer has already demonstrated noticeable improvement as there has been a decrease of 25 minutes in spring training ball games from last year. As the accelerated pace of play will be a topic of great interest throughout the season, pay close attention to how micro-betting will adapt and flourish while creating an unparalleled experience for baseball fans.

A concept based on individual moments in real-time throughout the course of a sporting event without depending on the outcome, micro-betting naturally aligns with the leisurely pace that personifies the essence of baseball. The sport beautifully lends itself to dialogues and debates that are seamlessly woven into its endearing rhythms. Micro-betting takes fan engagement to an entirely different level. Education and patience will be important for fans if they decide to engage in micro-betting at the outset of the season. As is always the case, they must also use sound judgement and moderation when it comes to engaging in gambling activities.

Through innovations in machine learning and real-time technology, Simplebet is on the forefront of feeding the insatiable appetite for live betting experiences beginning with at bats and pitches. Presently, the company provides in-play betting technology to Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, and bet365. This season, a sense of urgency will be added due to the presence of pitch timers in baseball and fans placing bets. Besides the 30-second timer between batters, there will be a 15-second timer between pitches with the bases empty and a 20-second timer with runners on base.

Ryan Keur, Vice President of Revenue and Trading at Simplebet, spoke with optimism while acknowledging the reality of growing pains as micro-betting adjusts to pitch timers in Major League Baseball. One of Keur’s primary concerns is a poor customer experience that begins with pitch timer violations which lead to voided bets. According to Keur, the average time a fan will have between pitches to place a micro-bet is 18 seconds. The sheer nature of micro-betting is predicated on speed, accuracy, and intense attention to detail. Keur said that a micro-market can create, suspend, and settle a bet within milliseconds.

Going beyond the friendly banter that normally occurs between pitches while watching a ball game, expect to see micro-betting develop into an enriching activity that adds depth and dimension to a fan’s overall experience with baseball. Micro-betting fits perfectly into Major League Baseball’s universe as both are using data to inspire innovation. Fans are becoming highly educated and sophisticated when it comes to analytics thanks to websites such as Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, and Baseball Savant. They have access to cutting edge resources to aid in planning and preparation. Keur aspires that one day the ultimate micro-betting experience could be created in one location that includes pertinent data and visuals to assist fans in making highly informed decisions.

Besides familiarity with the rule changes and pace of play, it will be a period of adjustment for everyone as delays will likely occur between betting apps and real-time action in ball games. There will also be differences as to how fans are consuming ball games as well: in-person, television, radio, or streaming. Ever notice the delays while watching a baseball game on television and trying to listen to it on the radio? As time is of the essence, technological cooperation is the foundation upon which success will be built for micro-betting when it comes to pitch timers.

An extraordinary number of micro-betting opportunities exist within baseball due to the volume of activity and unprecedented access to data. According to Baseball-Reference, there were 2,430 major league ball games played during the 2022 regular season. 708,539 pitches were thrown over 182,432 plate appearances in which a batter saw 3.88 pitches per plate appearance. Pitchers accumulated 40,812 strikeouts over 43,075.1 innings pitched while surrendering 39,675 hits. This marks the fifth consecutive season in which strikeouts surpassed hits in Major League Baseball.

After an awe-inspiring performance in the World Baseball Classic for Japan, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels demonstrated what it means to be an all-galactic superstar as he will continue to forge a deeper connection with fans thanks to the presence of micro-betting. Along with Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, expect tremendous interest surrounding every at bat and pitching appearance from Ohtani. Fans will not only be able to engage in micro-betting on whether he hits a home run in his third plate appearance in the sixth inning versus Jacob deGrom of the Texas Rangers, but also if the next pitch Ohtani throws is under or over 100 miles per hour. As a point of reference thanks to data provided by Baseball Savant, Ohtani threw 2,629 pitches last season with 40 that exceeded 100 miles per hour. In terms of offense, Ohtani put a ball in play 164 times last season with an exit velocity of at least 100 miles per hour.

“Like Major League Baseball’s mission, Simplebet is trying to create opportunities that promote fan engagement and fulfillment,” said Keur. This involves constant improvements with an emphasis on understanding nuances, sequences, and tendencies which help to inform machine learning. Customer input and data are valuable pieces of information for Simplebet as the company strives for excellence. Keur believes the next steps in micro-betting innovations begin with pitch location and velocity on a grid that represents the nine quadrants of the strike zone. While it is on his radar, Keur knows pitch identification is an innovation that will likely need time since certain pitches could be open for interpretation.

Major League Baseball recently announced FanDuel Group as a co-exclusive official sports betting partner along with BetMGM. The new collaboration will focus on active engagement and innovation but also emphasize the importance of responsibility and safety for fans. Sports betting is an expansive industry with influence in advertising, data analytics, and sponsorship. Expect companies such as Simplebet to continue pushing forward with micro-betting innovations while embracing the growing pains that will accompany progress associated with Major League Baseball’s pitch timers.