Grupo Caliente is one of the largest gambling operators in Latin America and the hottest in Mexico. It wants to make sure it stays that way, too, and is calling on Genius Sports to give it a boost. The two have had an ongoing relationship for the past couple of years, but Grupo Caliente is now going to give the sports tech data firm the right to be the lead provider of all sportsbook management-related activity for the operator’s Caliente.mx brand.
Moving forward, Genius Sports’ Betgenius arm will spearhead Grupo Caliente’s sports gambling efforts in relation to live data, trading and streaming activity for Caliente.mx. This will give it access to over 400 global sports competitions to introduce official sports data and live and recorded video feeds, and the real-time data and pricing compiled by Betgenius for over 170,000 different sporting events will also be included. Access to more than 20,000 streamed games and events will make Grupo Caliente’s menu of options even sweeter.
Caliente Interactive CEO Emilio Hank is excited about the opportunity and said in a statement, “As the market leader in Mexico, we are always focused on providing our customers with the best possible product. We are excited to keep growing our content offering and to extend our long-term partnership with Genius Sports, as we continue to expand into other markets.”
This expansion is going to be just as important for Genius Sports. The company has hinted at the idea of wanting to become a publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and laid out its plans with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week. If everything goes well, it will launch sometime during the first quarter of this year, hoping for a $1.5-billion valuation, and having guaranteed, long-standing agreements with operators around the world will help give potential investors the confidence they need to back the company.
Fernando Martinez, who leads Genius Sports Group’s Latin America commercial activity, adds of the extension with Group Caliente, “As an established and ambitious operator, Grupo Caliente sees the long-term value of a partnership with Genius Sports and our global official sports content, for the benefit of its players and future profitability. With in-game betting in Mexico rapidly rising, expanding its content will ensure they can stay ahead of the game.”
Genius Sports is also tied to the NBA, which will help make it a stronger play once it goes live on the NYSE. It is one of two official data suppliers for the league and the WNBA, and is rapidly expanding as it looks to gain control of a larger piece of the sports data segment.
