Ahead of the MLS All-Star Game in Atlanta tonight, the league is set to announce that Orlando "will host" next year's game, according to sources. Holding the "annual marquee event" in Central Florida "makes good on a contractual promise the league made to Orlando City." When Orlando City Stadium opened at the start of the '17 season, MLS Commissioner Don Garber "reiterated the league's pledge to bring an All-Star Game to the city" (PROSOCCERUSA.com, 8/1).

Meanwhile, MLS said that tonight's game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is sold out and is "down to standing-room only tickets." The match will "set a single-game record for tickets sold for an MLS All-Star Game." Tonight's game also "may move into second place for tickets sold to an All-Star game among leagues in North America," trailing only the '10 NBA All-Star Game at AT&T Stadium (AJC.com, 8/1).

DraftKings today is unveiling its new sports betting product, DraftKings Sportsbook, to New Jersey-based users. The product will feature a wide variety of moneyline and prop bets and parlay wagers, and will make DraftKings the first to market in the state with a mobile and online sportsbook offering. Other states are expected to be folded into DraftKings Sportsbook as regulations allow. DraftKings Sportsbook arrives after roughly a year of internal development and the Supreme Court ruling allowing states to legalize sports betting.

The product will contain various integrations with DraftKings’ core daily fantasy and DraftKings Live apps. Those integrations, and connections to the company’s base of funded DFS accounts, represent key sources of customer acquisition in the newly opened sports wagering landscape. Deposited funds with DraftKings Sportsbook will be available for use both there and in the DFS game. However, for funds originally deposited for DFS, only winnings can be applied to DraftKings Sportsbook.

DraftKings expects use of DraftKings Sportsbook to be predominantly mobile, as 90% of traffic to its DFS games arrives via mobile. “One of the core ideas was to make this really accessible and engaging for both your experienced bettor and the more casual audience that is newer to this,” said Dan Hannigan-Daley, DraftKings product lead. DraftKings Sportsbook will be available initially on an invite-only basis before being open more broadly to the public, likely within a few days. The product features a variety of geotargeted components to enable compliance with local and state regulations.

STEWART-HAAS RACING

Smithfield Foods has extended its 30-race primary sponsorship of Stewart-Haas Racing's No. 10 Ford driven by Aric Almirola for ’19, Exec VP John Pauley told THE DAILY this morning. When Smithfield joined the NASCAR team last year, SHR co-Owner Tony Stewart said the deal was multiyear -- but it apparently was for one year with an option to extend for an additional one, which Smithfield has now elected to do. Pauley said that Smithfield, whose spend is believed to be between $10-15M annually, has seen increased retail activation from its grocery partners off the track this year while also seeing greatly improved performance on the track. Pauley said Almirola running up front consistently in the Cup Series this season has led to Smithfield getting more media impressions this year than it previously had been.

Meanwhile, Pauley confirmed that this will be the final year of Smithfield's relationship with Richard Petty Motorsports, after the Virginia-based pork company decided late last year that it would do one final year with RPM even though it had already made its main switch to SHR. Pauley added that Smithfield’s contributions to the Petty family will go on after Smithfield donated to build a new archery center at the family’s North Carolina-based Victory Junction retreat for children with serious medical issues.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment signed a multiyear extension of its partnership with real estate property manager and developer Kettler, which will now provide the company the full naming rights of the 200-level at Capital One Arena. Starting in the '18-19 event season, the floor will be known as the Kettler Loft Level, and the company will also become a "championship level" partner of MS&E and its properties.

Kettler will also receive brand integration during Capitals and Wizards games and on radio broadcasts, digital billboard advertising and experiential opportunities for the company’s partners and apartment residents. Kettler had held the naming rights to the Capitals’ training facility for more than 12 years, before Monumental's deal this week with MedStar. Terms of the Kettler deal were not disclosed.

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht has been "rewarded by ownership with a contract for a sixth season." Sources confirmed that Licht "has a deal in place to remain" with the team at least through '19. Licht replaced Mark Dominik as GM in '14 (JOEBUCSFAN.com, 8/1).

Meanwhile, the Tampa Sports Authority today announced that "cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, e-cigarettes and vapor pipes will now be prohibited at Raymond James Stadium" for both Buccaneers and USF games. All designated smoking areas that "used to be inside the stadium have been eliminated" (TAMPABAY.com, 8/1). 

The Seahawks have reached a multiyear extension with Coca-Cola for the company to remain the official soft drink provider of the team. The extension also includes adding Dasani sparkling water in lime and berry flavors to the options at CenturyLink Field (Seahawks).

West Bend Mutual Insurance has signed on as the presenting partner of the West Bend Lofts suite area in the Bucks' Fiserv Forum (Bucks).

Former NFLer Shawne Merriman will "make his in-ring debut later this year in a bare knuckle boxing match at the inaugural World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation event, 'Rise of the Titans,' in Casper, Wyoming" (MMAFIGHTING.com, 8/1).

"Nothing. I’m not a big drinker -- and to fill it with water would be blasphemy" -- Open Championship winner Francesco Molinari, when asked what he has drank from the Claret Jug so far (TWITTER.com, 8/1).

“I just picture him running for his life, playing for a lousy team using him to create buzz and sell tickets. Feels a bit like the county fair” -- ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, on QB Johnny Manziel starting for the CFL Montreal Alouettes (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 8/1).

“Mere hours after slinking off to the shadows after the new low moment, came this moment that’s either cruelly obtuse or tragically Freudian” -- ESPN’s Bob Ley, on the Mets losing 25-4 to the Nationals last night and then tweeting about the team-branded wine (“OTL,” ESPN, 8/1).

Shop the #Mets #ClubSeries #Wine Collection at https://t.co/Y2FOVlywY0 pic.twitter.com/5N02Ul3Lve

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 1, 2018

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played a practice round Wednesday at Firestone, presumably for lower stakes than the $10-million TV match being planned. Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, said "we are closer than we have been" to working out the details and that he expected it to...

— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) August 1, 2018

ESPN having to continually aggregate their own laid off reporter breaking news on Facebook about the biggest college football story of the year must be painful!

— Kevin Draper (@kevinmdraper) August 1, 2018

To everyone's shock, next week in St Louis will be in the 90s and very humid for @PGAChampionship Might rival Tulsa in 2007 as the hottest/stickiest major I've covered. Like an outdoor sauna. John Daly even lost count of how many Diet Cokes he chugged.

— Robert Lusetich (@RobertLusetich) August 1, 2018

Puma has been coming up with all kinds of creative ways to appeal to players — like The Puma Jet!

The tail number coding -- N444SC -- is linked to creative director Jay-Z.

N: USA private jet country code
444: Latest album title
SC: Shawn Carter pic.twitter.com/DWbJc3pnYa

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) August 1, 2018

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

Duron Harmon, like Torrey Smith, is also wearing a #schoolsnotprison shirt today pic.twitter.com/JTTFBcF2zs

— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 1, 2018

This video from the Miami Herald, shot prior to last night's ManU-Real Madrid ICC match at Hard Rock Stadium, shows soccer fans answer questions about Cristaino Ronaldo leaving the La Liga side and joining Juventus.

2.7% -- Percent of U.S. homes that now subscribe to "virtual multichannel video programming distributors such as Sling, DirecTV Now and YouTube TV," according to Nielsen's most recent Total Audience Report (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 7/31).