Sports betting operators are officially being strong-armed into paying the National Basketball Association a fee for official data or losing the opportunity to offer a proper roster of in-play wagering markets to bettors.

On Friday, EPSN scribe David Payne Purdum broke the news that US sportsbooks had received a de facto data ultimatum from Sportradar, an official supplier of NBA data to US sports betting operators in states where such activity is legal.

The letter, since obtained by Legal Sports Report, informs Sportradar’s customers that “only Authorized Gaming Operators of the NBA are eligible to receive the NBA Official Data Feed” for wagering in betting-friendly states. As of 11:59pm EST on May 28, “all Authorized Data Distributors must cease providing to you NBA Official Data” unless operators prove that they know the NBA’s secret handshake.

Earlier this month, rumors circulated to the effect that both the NBA and Major League Baseball were threatening to cut off the official data spigot unless sportsbook operators paid the price – supposedly 0.25% of betting handle on their respective sports – of becoming official league partners (the NBA’s ranks of which include FanDuel, The Stars Group and MGM Resorts).