For the very first time, the NFL has announced an official casino sponsor. Caesars Entertainment has been named the official sponsor of the sports league, set to begin their new partnership with the 2019 playoffs.
Terms of the deal have yet to be released, but sources reveal that the three-year deal is worth around $30m (€26.3m) annually.
Official sponsor
Caesars Entertainment is the very first to be named the Official Sponsor of the NFL, set to have exclusive rights to NFL trademarks in the United States and United Kingdom. Such trademarks include the Super Bowl. While the deal includes trademark rights, the sportsbooks of Caesars will not see the trademarks added.
Details of the deal are scarce, but a press release by the NFL revealed that the partnership involves casino gaming only. The hotel and resorts, along with daily fantasy sports and sports betting are not included. With the new partnership, Caesars will be providing quality experiences for fans of the NFL via their casino properties.
Caesars Entertainment CEO Mark Frissora said: “All of us at Caesars Entertainment are thrilled to be the first-ever casino partner of the NFL, the most prominent sports league in North America. Combining the league’s 180m fans with our 55m Total Rewards loyalty program members will expose millions of people to the exclusive and exciting year-round opportunities at our properties.”
Caesars Entertainment is no stranger to deals with the NFL, as the brand has already created relationships with several of the league’s top sports teams. Caesars has standing casino category partnerships with the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.
As Caesars has partnered with the NFL, other sports leagues have decided to partner with MGM Resorts International. Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association have all signed deals with MGM Resorts. However, these deals are a bit different as they focus on sports betting.
American Gaming Association shows support
As the news broke of the Caesars Entertainment and NFL deal, the American Gaming Association (AGA) quickly showed its support. For some time now, the AGA has argued that professional sports leagues can secure integrity for their teams as well as players/fans by creating commercial agreements with gaming entities.
The AGA believes that this new partnership is a good example as to the value that contractual relationships have between the sports leagues and the casino industry.
AGA senior vice president of public affairs, Sara Slane said: “The NFL’s official partnership with Caesars Entertainment is a perfect example of the value of contractual relationships between leagues and the casino gaming industry.
“The partnerships now in place between gaming companies and each of the four major American sports leagues enrich the fan experience and validate gaming’s role as a form of mainstream entertainment.”
While the deal between Caesars and the NFL does not include sports betting at this time, there is potential for the relationship to grow in the future.