SportsCastr Inc., operating as Panda Interactive, revealed today that it has modified a 2023 patent infringement lawsuit against competitors Genius Sports and Sportradar to add related antitrust allegations.
The revised complaint claims that Genius and Sportradar — the leading suppliers of data for sportsbook operators — “have illegally linked” access to their technology, causing coercive actions that hinder competition and restrict customer options.
"The expanded claims allege that Genius Sports and Sportradar have engaged—and continue to engage—in anticompetitive conduct,” according to a statement issued by Panda. “This includes coercing sportsbooks into using their technology as a condition for accessing essential, real-time league data, which they exclusively control through long-term agreements with all major sports leagues, including the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA, and others.”
In October 2023, SportsCastr, located in Las Vegas, initiated legal action in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, claiming that Genius and Sportradar violated its patents related to cloud-based software. A key focus in the initial lawsuit is Panda's claim that its competitors violated its technological patents that improve services associated with in-game or live betting —
a domain that’s lucrative for sportsbook operators and extremely favored by bettors.
Panda Claims Genius, Sportradar Are Oppressors
In the consumer-oriented segment of the sports betting industry, DraftKings and FanDuel are commonly perceived as maintaining a robust duopoly, primarily developed through their marketing expertise, technological advancements, brand awareness, and customer inclinations.
In the business-to-business (B2B) sector of the industry, Genius and Sportradar may indeed have a duopoly, but it’s not one that arises from purity or customer choice, as stated by Panda. Instead, the spurned company thinks its rivals are intimidators.
“The Defendants’ bullying takes bad behavior to new heights—illegally using our own patented technology against us by packaging it with their platform, tying it to their exclusive data, and effectively shutting the door to fair competition,” said Panda Chairman Donald Schupak in a statement.
Panda asserts that Genius and Sportradar have traditionally employed aggressive strategies to obstruct newcomers from entering the market, effectively compelling gaming and media firms to depend on their offerings.
“This has created an unfair system where companies are backed into agreements that benefit only those who control access to essential data—Genius Sports and Sportradar,” according to the statement.
Panda Desires Equal Conditions
Panda's revised lawsuit comes at a moment when in-game betting constitutes a minor fraction of total wagers made in the US, yet one analyst predicts it will experience significant growth in the years ahead. The dominant belief is that a surge will happen as operators obtain the technology required to improve pricing for live bets and present those wagers to customers before any shifts in the action.
For Panda, the lawsuit focuses on equalizing the competition while guaranteeing that sportsbook clients have options in choosing their data providers.
“The facts speak for themselves—this action is a necessary response. Many in the industry have raised concerns about how Genius Sports and Sportradar operate, and their strong-arm tactics have coerced the market at the expense of all layers of sport,” said Kevin April, CEO of PANDA Interactive. “Their unchecked dominance has persisted for far too long. The future of sports betting should be driven by innovation and competition, not control and coercion.”