The Alliance of American Football now has an "exclusive three-year partnership" with MGM Resorts, establishing the gaming conglomerate as the "official sports-betting partner of the league," according to Anthony Crupi of AD AGE. MGM will also "invest in the AAF tech platform." AAF CEO Charlie Ebersol said that platform will "not only allow for a rewards-based system of integrated gaming but will offer in-game wagering to fans" in states where sports gambling is legal. The AAF app will also "stream games," data gleaned from streamers should "provide the league with valuable intel about how viewers are interacting with the content." That data will "go a long way" toward helping "shape the league's product strategy." Among the rewards systems the tech team is "testing before the opening kickoff is an incentive that would allow users to rack up points by interacting with the commercials." Points would be "redeemable in the form of cash or prizes." Ebersol said, "Now our sponsors are fully integrated with our users at the point at which they're the most engaged. You're the most engaged when you're watching the game, which is the point when you're actually the least engaged with fantasy as it's been played for the last 15 years" (ADAGE.com, 9/10). Ebersol also said that the "opportunity exists to allow the league to disproportionately pay players whose prop bets are bet on more" (ESPN.com, 9/10). MGM Resorts also became a league partner for the NBA last month (THE DAILY).
