The NFL announced it has selected Caesars Entertainment Corporation to be the league’s first-ever casino partner. The multiyear sponsorship agreement begins with the start of the upcoming NFL playoffs and could be an indication that the league will eventually sign a deal for legal sports betting.
As part of the partnership, Caesars now has exclusive rights to use NFL trademarks to promote casinos in the U.S. and U.K., the league announced in a press release this morning. The deal also allows Caesars to advertise its brand at the NFL Draft and Super Bowl. Caesars, which operates Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip, will host elements of the 2020 NFL Draft in coordination with the city of Las Vegas.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with one of the world’s largest gaming and entertainment companies,” said Renie Anderson, the NFL’s senior vice president of sponsorship and partnership management, in the press release. “Combining the NFL with Caesars’ expertise in world class entertainment will provide our fans unique experiences both here in the United States and abroad.”
Caesars will pay the NFL close to $30 million per year, according to Bloomberg. The NFL’s partnership with Caesars only deals with casinos and does not include licensing rights to sports betting or daily fantasy. Eight NFL clubs (the Bears, Falcons, Ravens, Colts, Saints, Raiders, and Eagles) have existing relationships with Caesars Entertainment.
“We’re not rushing into anything,” Anderson said according to Bloomberg. “We’ll continue to look at the industry as it evolves but it’s still has a lot of evolving to do.”
SportTechie Takeaway
While this partnership does not deal directly with sports betting, Caesars may be positioning itself ahead of the rest of the casino industry if and when the NFL decides it wants to embrace legalized sports gambling. In November, MGM Resorts was named the official sports betting partner of MLB. MGM also has a betting partnership with the NBA and another with the NHL. All signs point to the NFL following with a sports betting partnership of its own before the Raiders relocate to Las Vegas in 2020.