Bally’s Corporation has acquired the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP), the premier professional beach volleyball organisation and host of the longest-running domestic beach volleyball tour in the US.
Under the terms of the transaction, Bally’s has acquired all of AVP’s assets, including trademarks, AVP America promoter agreements and associated recurring membership revenue, digital photo and video assets, and all proprietary tournament and league management software.
The company also revealed 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, former owner and CEO of AVP, said: “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.
“I look forward to being an integral part of the transition, focusing on the best interests of all AVP athletes, fans, staff and partners.”
Bally’s added that the deal represents the latest step in the firm’s ongoing omni-channel growth and diversification strategy, providing a ‘significant’ opportunity to gamify and incorporate interactive content into beach volleyball.
“The AVP is an attractive asset that complements our rapidly expanding US sports betting vision,” commented Adi Dhandhania, SVP Strategy and Interactive.
“Donald and the entire AVP team have done a tremendous job developing the league and transforming it into what it is today, and we look forward to exploring creative ways to amplify and gamify such a dynamic and high-growth sport, providing beach volleyball fans across the nation with unique and interactive content.”
