MGM Resorts' sponsorship patch is a marketing coup as it is in the midst of a bid to build a casino in JapanMLB
The A's for their season-opening series in Japan against the Mariners will be wearing an "MGM Resorts Japan" patch on their sleeves as part of a sponsorship agreement MGM signed with MLB, and it "illustrates how far baseball has come in embracing sports gambling," according to Richard Velotta of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. The sponsorship patch is a "marketing coup for MGM, which is in the midst of a highly competitive bid to build an integrated resort with a casino in Japan." Though Japanese lawmakers "still haven't determined all the details of the bid process, it's expected that three casinos will be built" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/10).
GOING ALL-IN: The Red Sox announced a multiyear agreement with MGM Resorts -- which has a recently opened casino in Springfield, Mass. -- that will "place the company's logo around Fenway Park -- visible to millions of fans as the state gears up for online sports betting." In Boston, Silverman & Ng note the Red Sox' five-year deal with Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., expired at the end of '18. MGM Resorts is now the "official and exclusive resort casino" of the Red Sox. Signs of the new deal "will be impossible to miss," with MGM Resorts' logo "appearing on Fenway Park's Green Monster." Other signs, including behind home plate, "will be prominent." The Red Sox' annual Winter Weekend "will head west to Springfield, to be held in January at the MGM Springfield casino" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/9).
HIGH ROLLER: In Boston, Olivia Vanni notes former MLBer David Ortiz "spent the last few days at Foxwoods," where he was seen "schmoozing with guests and shooting commercial footage for a new partnership." Ortiz was there to "capture visuals for Foxwoods' upcoming marketing efforts." His work with Foxwoods is "part of a deal he inked with the casino earlier this year," serving as an "ambassador and appearing in its upcoming advertising campaign" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/11).
