First official casino sponsor

The Green Bay Packers have signed a sponsorship deal making the tribal Oneida Casino their official casino partner.

The deal enhances the long relationship between the NFL team and the Oneida Nations Indians, who operate three facilities near Lambeau Field, the home stadium of the Packers.

The Oneida logo has been a fixture of the advertising billboards at Lambeau Field since 2002

The Oneida logo has been a fixture of the advertising billboards at Lambeau Field since 2002. The gate on the east side of the Packers’ stadium is also known as the Oneida Nation Gate.

Up until 2018, NFL teams were not permitted to obtain casino sponsorship deals. In September 2018, the NFL changed their stance and allowed these types of sponsorships, as long as teams were not promoting sportsbooks. 

This is not an issue for the Green Bay Packers as sports betting is not legal in Wisconsin. It is one of just seven states in the entire country yet to have any legislation relating to the legalization of sports betting. 

NFL’s stance on sports betting

For many years, the NFL fought hard to prevent the ending of the federal ban on sports betting. The NFL joined other major sports leagues in the United States to pursue legal action in an attempt to block such a move.

This ultimately proved to be fruitless as the federal ban came to an end in May 2018 following a Supreme Court vote.

Since the ending of the ban, the NFL has been softening its stance on sports betting. Teams are now allowed to sign casino sponsorship deals.

Embracing sports betting

In January 2019, the NFL announced Caesars Entertainment as the league’s official casino sponsor. This initial three-year deal is worth about $30m annually.

There is also a lot of opportunity for the league to capitalize on data licensing and advertising in the sports betting space going forward.

Other teams with sponsorships

The Packers are not the first NFL team to get on board with a casino sponsor. The Dallas Cowboys were quick off the mark in September 2018 following the NFL’s rule change to signup an official casino sponsor. 

They are partnering with the WinStar World Casino Resort in nearby Oklahoma. The casino proclaims itself as being the largest casino in the globe and it is just 85 miles away from the Cowboy’s AT&T Stadium. 

The Baltimore Ravens have a multiyear marketing deal in place with the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. 

The Oakland Raiders are moving to Las Vegas in 2020 and they already have signed up a partnership deal with Caesars Entertainment. The new $1.8bn stadium is just off the Las Vegas Strip and this partnership is in place for 15 years. 

It will see Caesar’s having an exclusive suite on halfway, as well as having access to tickets. The casino company’s logo will also be seen across the stadium, as well as one of the entrances being sponsored by Caesars.