Sports betting is the next great frontier for media, and iHeartMedia Philadelphia this week decided to jump into the fray.
The media company announced Friday the debut of a new radio station, designed around sports talk and sports gambling: Fox Sports Radio, The Gambler, which will broadcast on 102.5 FM and 1480 AM.
The station will begin broadcasting Aug. 26 at 3 p.m., when PhillyInfluencer.com owner and local sports personality Sean Brace will debut his new weekday show, "The Daily Ticket with Sean Brace". The show will run weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., taking up the station's evening drive time slot.
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Brace told PhillyVoice that iHeartRadio's been thinking about a sports gambling station for a few years; as legalized sports betting approached in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, he said, they could see the writing on the wall.
"The need for a third sports talk radio station wasn’t really there unless it was going to be something completely different," Brace said. "And that's why we launched The Gambler. No callers. Just guests that will bring the best information on the games we love to watch."
Brace said "The Daily Ticket" will have an even flow of odds, future bets, DraftKings daily fantasy talk, and obviously Eagles and Philly sports talk.
The Gambler will also feature Fox Sports' national radio coverage, including The Dan Patrick Show in the morning and Colin Cowherd's show in the early afternoon.
Other gambling-related coverage will include "Straight Outta Vegas with RJ Bell" from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“Whether you’re heading to Atlantic City or one of our four local sports books, we’ll have what you need to keep you informed,” Jeff Moore, SVP of Sales for iHeartMedia Philadelphia, said in a release. “It’ll be a great mix of national sports talk icons with the local edge to inform and entertain the gambling audience in a groundbreaking way.”
Mobile sports betting launched in Pennsylvania this summer, and neighboring New Jersey is already head-over-heels in love with sports betting: the state saw $318.9 million in sports bets back in May, beating out Nevada's sports books for the first time.
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