- PointsBet will host a Final Four livestream featuring expert insights from behavorial specialists.
- Entitled ‘LIVE Insights for LIVE Bettors‘, the stream will feature discussion on the mental aspect of the game.
- The stream will begin at 5:55 PM ET on April 2 and will air on Instagram and Twitter at the start and halftime of both games.
PointsBet is doing something really interesting for the two ‘Final Four’ games on Saturday, April 2. They’ll be hosting a livestream with an expert panel discussion featuring behavioral specialists focusing on the mental aspect of the two matchups. The plan is to offer ‘a new betting experience for sports fans that folds in unique insights from behavorial specialists’.
The event is called LIVE Insights for LIVE Bettors and will feature one of the most eclectic groups of experts ever put together: Northwestern University Professor of Sports Psychology Dr. Michele Kerulis, body language expert Scott Rouse, former NCAA and NBA star Carlos Boozer, and PointsBet Head Oddsmaker Jay Croucher. According to the press release announcing the event, ‘the panel aims to explore how a team’s state of mind on the court can affect player performance and overall team dynamic’.
As someone who has always focused on the ’emotional/subjective’ factors of sports handicapping I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. There are too many companies entering the US sports betting market that think the ticket to success is to ‘dumb down’ the product to the point that even lottery players can understand it. If you know the first thing about sports betting or sports bettors, you know that this is a horrible strategy. From a demographic standpoint, sports bettors are better educated, more affluent and more financially successful than average. Despite this reality, efforts to create a more intelligent and sophisticated experience for the betting public are few and far between.
Northwestern University Professor of Sports Psychology Dr. Michele Kerulis explains that she’ll focus on how college age athletes react to the high level stress of the Final Four:
“For these college athletes, participating in the Final Four is a momentous occasion and culmination of the hard work they put in during the regular season to get here. However, many of these players have never been in such a high-pressure situation like this. Everyone reacts to stress differently, and we’re aiming to highlight how skill alone does not influence the outcome of a game. Emotion plays a key part, and through this discussion, sports fans will gain a new perspective and help inform how they bet moving forward.”
Here’s some more info about the focus of the livestream from the PointsBet press release:
During the roundtable discussion, the panelists will offer next level detail for live bettors, looking beyond the odds and into the emotions and reactions on the court. Dr. Kerulis will examine the on-court dynamic of the players, including stress management, anxiety, and team cohesion. One of the top experts in human behavior, Scott Rouse, will comment on what viewers can glean from on-court body language, helping bettors make informed decisions.
Carlos Boozer is also an interesting addition to the panel–and not just because he played college ball at Duke before a long career in the NBA. C-Booz is holding a $50,000 USD futures ticket that will pay him $600 grand USD if Duke wins the NCAA Championship. Here’s what Boozer says about his involvement:
“I’ve been in the same position as these players when I played for Coach K., and I can tell you it is both the most exciting and scariest moment of your college athletic career. That heightened pressure can either make or break you, and I’m excited to shed some light on how skill can bring you close to the win, but it’s heart and grit that gets you the championship title.”
What he didn’t say is that he’ll also give us the perspective of someone sweating out a big bet. C-Booz pulled down over $143 million USD during his NBA career so it obviously won’t make or break him but it does provide an insight that we haven’t seen before on a betting related broadcast.
Kyle Christensen, Chief Marketing Officer at PointsBet USA, says that his company is here to ‘raise the level of the game’:
“We’re always aiming to reimagine the sports viewing landscape, and the Final Four provides a prime opportunity for PointsBet to explore how we can take the live betting experience to the next level. We’ve seen how underdogs like Saint Peter’s have been able to defeat some of the most skilled programs through pure determination, and through this activation, we’re bringing together these behavioral experts to showcase to our users just how profoundly a team’s mindset can change the dynamic of a game.”
The reason I’ve remained fascinated by sports betting on a macro and micro level for so long is that it is an extreme mental, emotional and intellectual challenge. Few things I’ve experienced can even compare. I’ve been fortunate to know plenty of successful sports bettors over the years and they often say to the same thing. Kudos to PointsBet for not dumbing it down.
The PointsBet stream will begin at 5:55 PM ET on Instagram and Twitter and will air at the start and halftime of both games.
