Turning Stone Casino Advertising On SU Web Site, Carrier Dome

Syracuse Univ. (SU) officials and the NCAA have "drawn a blurry line to mark the difference between sports wagering and casino gambling," as banners advertising Turning Stone Resort & Casino are on display in the Carrier Dome and on SU's athletics Web site, according to Mike Waters of the Syracuse POST-STANDARD. Four Turning Stone banners "stretch across four sections of seats in the third tier" of the Carrier Dome and read, "Every Day is Game Day." The casino also has "in-game ads on the Dome's video board." SU AD Daryl Gross declined to reveal how much the school has "gained in advertising revenues from its deal" with Turning Stone. Oneida Nation CEO Ray Halbritter said that SU officials "initiated the discussions that led to Turning Stone's recent ad campaign." Gross: "We've been so cautious about doing everything right in this relationship. The folks at Turning Stone are great partners. They're classy and professional. It's a big property in this region, and we're not going to ignore that they're there." NCAA Associate Dir for Public & Media Relations Cameron Schuh said, "Promotional relationships between a member institution and a state-run lottery or a casino are not violations of NCAA legislation." Gross noted that the Turning Stone advertising "never mentions the resort's casino." He said, "When we talked about sponsorship, we always talked about it in terms of non-casino. We didn't want to promote anything about the casino component of it." Waters noted that is the "same approach that the PGA Tour takes during the Turning Stone Resort Championship at Atunyote Golf Club" (Syracuse POST-STANDARD, 12/13).