PANDA Interactive Sues Genius Sports & Sportradar for ‘Anti-Competitive Conduct’ in Sports Betting Market
SportsCastr Inc. (D/B/A PANDA Interactive), a sports streaming and betting technology company, has announced that it has filed amended complaints against Genius Sports (NYSE: GENI) and Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD), adding parallel antitrust claims to its ongoing patent infringement lawsuit. The complaint asserts that both Defendants have unlawfully tied access to the official sports data they exclusively control with their own betting technology—suppressing competition and limiting consumer choice.
“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 Interactive’s Chairman, Donald Schupak.
This antitrust action builds on PANDA’s original lawsuit, filed in October 2023, which accused the Defendants of willfully infringing PANDA’s foundational patents for ultra-low latency, interactive sports streaming and betting technology. The expanded claims allege that Genius Sports and Sportradar have engaged—and continue to engage—in anticompetitive conduct. This includes, allegedly, 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.
PANDA is seeking a court order preventing Genius Sports and Sportradar from engaging in “further anticompetitive practices.” Additionally, the company is pursuing damages for the “ongoing and accelerating harm caused by their unlawful conduct.”
Kevin April, CEO of PANDA Interactive claimed that “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. 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.”
For years, the Defendants’ “exclusionary practices have blocked new competitors and forced sportsbooks and media companies into restrictive technology deals, leaving them with no real choice,” according to PANDA. “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.”
PANDA is represented in these cases by King & Spalding LLP.