Caesars Entertainment is getting into the sports sponsorship space via a multiyear agreement with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Devils and 76ers. The deal connects Caesars to sports fans in both north and south New Jersey, while also promoting the company's Harrah’s Philadelphia casino, which last month became the third operator to apply for a sportsbook license in Pennsylvania. That state will become the seventh to offer legal sports wagering if its sportsbooks open as expected next month. Caesars will put its name on a 5,000-square-foot premium lounge in Prudential Center’s main concourse. Available only to premium seat holders for Devils games, the club opens to all patrons for other arena events. The casino operator also gets exposure on digital signs in the arena and on its 4,800-square-foot outdoor LED board, along with a branded “Shoot for a Million” on-ice promotion between periods at 10 regular-season games. At 76ers games, Caesars will use in-game and online promos in which fans can win hotel stays to promote Harrah’s Philadelphia, which is about a 20-minute drive from Wells Fargo Center. Neither Ceasars nor Harrah’s will promote their sportsbooks directly through the 76ers at the start of the deal, though that seems likely to be the eventual outcome.
MEET ME TONIGHT IN ATLANTIC CITY: Caesars Entertainment Senior VP/Marketing and Chief Experience Officer Michael Marino said New Jersey is "clearly the focus for us at this point." He noted the company also will use the Devils sponsorship to drive users to its mobile sportsbook app and guests to its Atlantic City casinos. Marino: “What was really interesting about this for us is the relationship with the Sixers as well. Pennsylvania is a market that we expect to be in the mobile (sportsbook) space. ... It makes a lot of sense for us. Both buildings, both teams and both fan bases make a lot of sense to feed the assets we already have existing and the ones we’re building moving forward. It just felt like the ideal partner for us." Caesars Entertainment is owned in part by private equity firm Apollo Global Management. Devils and 76ers co-Managing Partner Josh Harris also serves as Apollo Managing Dir.
