Stats Perform Rumored for Sale as Sports Betting Data Demand Soars

Posted on: June 11, 2021, 11:03h. 

Last updated on: June 11, 2021, 11:51h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Sports betting data provider Stats Perform is rumored to be for sale. It is the latest sign the market for information and technology used by leagues and sportsbooks remains robust.

Stats Perform
The Stats Perform office in India. The sports betting data provider is reportedly for sale. (Image: Twitter)

Stats Perform is privately held and controlled by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners. Sportico originally reported that the business is being shopped and that the investors engaged investment bank Evercore to run the sale process.

Stats Perform was born out of a combination of two businesses owned by Vista. In 2014, the private equity shop purchased Stats LLC, a provider of sports data and statistics, from The Associated Press and Fox Sports. Two years ago, it bought Perform Content and merged that enterprise with Stats LLC.

The combined company handles official data for leagues and teams, and packages that data for media companies and betting operators,” reports Sportico. “It also utilizes AI and machine learning to create predictive models.”

A possible price tag for Stats Perform wasn’t mentioned.

Stats Perform Sale Could Be Well-Timed

The impetus for Vista’s potential sale of Stats Perform isn’t clear. But it could be a simple case of striking while the iron is hot.

As the US sports wagering market accelerates with more players entering the arena, gaming companies need data to power their sportsbooks. The same goes for professional leagues that are banking on regulated sports wagering as an avenue for increasing fan engagement.

News of Vista perhaps shopping Stats Perform emerges as valuations on peers are intoxicating. Earlier this week, it was reported that rival Sportradar walked away from a deal with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). But the Swiss betting data provider is still pursuing a traditional initial public offering (IPO) that could value the company at $10 billion.

Genius Sports (NYSE:GENI), another sports betting data firm, recently went public following a reverse merger with a blank-check firm. That transaction valued the company at $1.5 billion, and today it has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion.

What’s Next for Stats Perform

The Sportico article doesn’t mention possible buyers for Stats Perform. But it’s possible a wide assortment of suitors emerge for the target.

Some gaming companies are making clear they want to be vertically integrated, and bringing a data enterprise in-house would mesh with that objective. Likewise, media companies looking to bolster their sports wagering footprints could make runs at Stats Perform.

Additionally, another private equity company with gaming assets, or one looking to get into sports wagering in some form, could pursue Stats Perform. But that remains to be seen.

No time frame for Vista’s divestment of the business was reported.