On May 14, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, clearing the way for states to legalize sports betting. Business sped forward from that date, leading to partnerships with casino companies, sportsbooks, research and data firms and other vendors. The following is a snapshot of deals reached since PASPA was abolished.
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Caesars Entertainment (Las Vegas) owns casinos under the Caesars, Harrah’s and Horseshoe brand names, as well as the World Series of Poker.
First official casino sponsor of the NFL in a multiyear agreement, with exclusive right to use NFL trademarks in the U.S. and U.K. to promote Caesars casino properties and activate at key NFL events. Does not include data sharing or use of the NFL’s logo in connection with the company’s sportsbooks.
15-year agreement to be the first founding partner of the Raiders’ Las Vegas stadium.
Multiyear agreement with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, promoting the Harrah’s Philadelphia casino, its mobile sportsbook app and Atlantic City casinos.
Stake in DraftKings through which it will offer online market access in states where the casino company operates, subject to state laws. Receives a portion of the revenue that DraftKings generates in states where the partnership is active. DraftKings last month opened a branded sportsbook at Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville, Miss.
Partner with Turner Sports to develop gaming content.
Sponsorship deals with the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans.
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MGM Resorts International (Las Vegas) owns and operates 15 properties in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has a 50 percent stake in four other properties including T-Mobile Arena.
Four-year, $80 million agreement with MLB as the league’s first official gaming partner and official entertainment partner. Receives nonexclusive access to official MLB stats feeds and exclusive access to a select amount of enhanced Statcast stats. Title sponsored the Mariners-A’s season-opening series in Tokyo. MGM’s logo was visible via a patch on the A’s jerseys, home-plate rotational signage, in the dugouts and on press backdrops.
Multiyear sponsorship with the NBA, the league’s first official gaming partnership. Each side can use the other’s marks, but the league can still license its data to other gaming operations. The deal also includes rights to the WNBA.
Multiyear, nonexclusive deal with the NHL that gives access to league and team marks for use online and in its sportsbooks. Access to market its sportsbooks, resorts and rewards program to the NHL’s database of hockey fans. Purchases and uses official data from the league, including proprietary player tracking data.
Exclusive official sports betting partner of MLS. Access to enhanced league data for sports betting customers and television-visible signage at the more than 100 nationally broadcast games.
Deal with the New York Jets, including in-stadium signage and sponsorship of the Jets 360 Productions Studio. Use of the Jets’ logo at the Borgata in Atlantic City, but not in any way associated with its sports gambling business.
With software company Xperiel, partnered with the Sacramento Kings to introduce the league’s first free-to-play mobile game, available only through the team’s Golden 1 Center app. The game is not played for money but virtual credits.
Multiyear deal with the Boston Red Sox that places the MGM lion’s head logo on Fenway Park’s Green Monster. Other signage, including behind home plate, will be prominent and the MGM Resorts’ brand will be featured on NESN and other team-controlled media outlets. Additionally, the Red Sox’s Winter Weekend fanfest will be in Springfield, Mass., annually at the MGM Springfield casino, which opened in 2018.
Churchill Downs (Louisville, Ky.) owns the iconic track as well as casinos in seven other states, a racetrack in Illinois, one in Louisiana and TwinSpires.com, the largest legal online wagering platform for horse racing in the U.S.
Acquired Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin in Farmington, Pa.
Acquired Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pa.
Partnered with the Golden Nugget Atlantic City to get into the New Jersey legal sports betting and online gaming markets.
Partnered with technology platform SBTech.
Penn National Gaming (Wyomissing, Pa.) owns and operates the Tropicana Las Vegas, and operates six other sportsbooks in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Mississippi.
Its Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia was the site of that state’s first legal sports wager, as was its Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Pennsylvania.
Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment (Dover, Del.) owns Dover International Speedway and Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, which is on the same property.
The speedway opened a betting kiosk on site for the fall race and will do so again for its race next month. To date, DIS is the only motorsports track that has offered a sportsbook.
Chickasaw Nation (Ada, Okla.) is a federally recognized Native American nation that owns 19 casinos and Lone Star Park, a horse racing track in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Its WinStar World Casino and Resort (a tribal casino and hotel located in Thackerville, Okla., near the Texas state line) signed a deal with the Dallas Cowboys and is allowed to use the team’s logos and marks.
WinStar is the exclusive casino sponsor for Complexity Gaming, marking the first time that a U.S. esports organization has designated a casino as an official sponsor.
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William Hill (London and Las Vegas) is Nevada’s leading sportsbook, operating more than half of the state’s locations as well as the state’s leading mobile sports betting app. It also has 10 in Mississippi, three in New Jersey and two in West Virginia.
Sponsorship with MSG Networks for its New Jersey Devils telecasts. Deal includes in-game integration, branded content and commercial spots during games, plus the network’s pregame and postgame shows.
Sportradar (Minneapolis and St. Gallen, Switzerland) is a research and data analysis company whose ownership group includes Ted Leonsis, Mark Cuban and Michael Jordan. The firm had existing partnerships with the NFL, NHL and FIFA.
Multiyear data deal with MLB, with exclusive rights to the distribution of live industry standard audio-visual game feeds to operators outside the U.S. where sports betting is legal. Will distribute data to U.S. media companies as the official supplier of MLB’s real-time betting data feed. MLB will use Sportradar’s integrity monitoring services.
Three-year, nonexclusive domestic rights deal with the NBA to distribute official betting data from NBA and WNBA games to licensed operators in states where sports wagering has been legalized.
Will monitor domestic and global betting activity for all races across the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
One-year deal to provide integrity monitoring services for the USL. The company also receives audio-video rights to use for betting purposes.
Scientific Games (Las Vegas) is a gaming operator that partnered with Caesars to provide its OpenBet sportsbook platform in New Jersey (at Bally’s and Harrah’s Atlantic City) and Mississippi. The company also is a technology provider of Delaware’s sportsbook.
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International Game Technology (London) is Rhode Island’s official technology partner.
The company recently installed its PlayShot QuickBet Kiosks at FanDuel Sportsbook at The New Meadowlands Racetrack. IGT’s technology is used to place over-the-counter sports wagers in Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.
The Stars Group (Toronto) is an online gambling company.
In December, it was named an authorized gaming operator of the NBA in the U.S. TSG has the rights to use official NBA betting data and league marks across TSG’s digital sports betting offerings. TSG’s BetEasy.com brand also became the league’s official wagering partner in Australia, where the NBA will promote the brand on the league’s official Australian website, the NBA app and the league’s Australian social media accounts. New Jersey also began offering TSG’s BetStars online betting sportsbook.
CG Technology (Las Vegas) operates eight sportsbooks at seven resorts in Nevada.
It signed a deal in February with Meadowlands Racetrack to provide online and mobile sports betting.
Paddy Power Betfair (Dublin) owns TVG Network, an online horse and greyhound racing betting business and digital cable and satellite television network, and acquired FanDuel in May 2018.
The company opened the 5,310-square-foot FanDuel Sportsbook Lounge last July at the Meadowlands and debuted the 1,800-square-foot FanDuel Sportsbook at Valley Forge (Pa.) Casino Resort last month. The company recently announced plans to rebrand as Flutter Entertainment, pending shareholder approval at the company’s annual meeting next month.
IMG Arena (London), part of IMG Media, provides more than 250 bookmakers worldwide with livestreaming and on-demand virtual sports products, which became part of the company’s portfolio after investing in Leap Gaming last June.
The division has partnerships with more than 40 major rights holders, including the PGA Tour, ATP, MLS, NHL and the U.S. Tennis Association’s U.S. Open. It has created an alliance with Kambi, SBTech, Paddy Power Betfair and others that requires those companies to use only official data and streaming services for IMG Arena-represented events.
Genius Sports (London) monitors wagering activity for the PGA Tour in countries where gambling already is legal.
The company is in the first year of a three-year data distribution deal with the NBA and a 10-year deal with the NCAA.
SBTech (London) is the technology provider for Churchill Downs, Golden Nugget Casinos in Biloxi, Miss., and Atlantic City, N.J., and Resorts Casino Hotel, also in Atlantic City.
Oregon announced last month that the company would be the state’s partner for its current lottery and for any future sportsbook.
Kambi (Malta) provides sports betting software to gaming operators.
The company has a strong presence in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and says that 80 percent of bets to date in the new post-PASPA markets have taken place at a Kambi-powered book. The company last month signed a deal to provide online and on-property betting services at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
