B
ally’s Corporation announced Tuesday that it has acquired the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP).
The gaming and betting company has taken hold of the premier professional beach volleyball organization. The purchase of the AVP’s assets include digital photo and video, trademarks, agreements and associated recurring membership revenue and all proprietary tournament and league management software.
“The AVP is an attractive asset that complements our rapidly expanding U.S. sports betting vision,” said Bally’s senior VP Adi Dhandhania.
The corporation’s goal is “to gamify and incorporate interactive content into beach volleyball with the intention of driving traffic to its platforms and promoting customer acquisition.” Bally’s plans to leverage AVP’s distribution channels, as well as the Sinclair-owned “Bally Sports” Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), to increase consumer engagement with, and awareness of, the league.
Donald Sun, AVP’s former owner, said that “forming a new relationship with a trusted, forward-thinking partner like Bally’s offers the opportunity to develop a strategic roadmap that will grow the sport, expand its footprint and provide new resources to better elevate the game and its athletes”. He also announced that we will be an integral part of the transition.
Sun has owned the tour since 2012, and stars like Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Kennings, Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser were born under his tenure.
“Donald and the entire AVP team have done a tremendous job developing the league and transforming it into what it is today,” analyzed Dhandhania.
Last year, the AVP planned eight events before the pandemic struck, which left them with three-event bubbles. Three events have been scheduled for this season, starting in Atlanta the week after the Tokyo Olympics on August 13-15. The AVP is planning to resume a full season beginning in 2022.
