PGA Tour Opens Up Gambling Sponsorship Opportunities

The PGA Tour is making major sponsorship changes by allowing certain gambling deals and broadening the liquor category for players. At a Tour meeting last night at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., players were briefed on the changes that now will allow sponsorships with casinos and gambling resorts, effective immediately. The Tour will not permit sponsorships in the U.S. by companies whose primary purpose is sports betting, so sportsbooks will be shut out of the category. Also, the Tour is allowing official marketing partnerships and tournament title deals with certain gambling entities. For the first time, Tour and player sponsorships can include the daily fantasy category.

Meanwhile, though the Tour already has liquor sponsorships, players now can sign deals to wear the names and logos of liquor companies. The changes come after the Tour extensively reviewed its longstanding policies that had prohibited gambling sponsorships.