The NFL has officially signed a deal with its first ever casino partner. The league announced on Thursday that it has signed a multi-year deal with Caesars Entertainment.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE SELECTS CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT AS FIRST-EVER OFFICIAL CASINO SPONSOR: https://t.co/HddsKUcTk4
— NFL345 (@NFL345) January 3, 2019
According to a report from Bloomberg, the deal is worth approximately $30 million per year.
BREAKING: @NFL inks three-year deal with @caesars, which becomes leagues first casino partner. NOT sports betting but league inching closer. Caesars can use league marks in US/UK. Worth about $30M/year, source says. Nice work @novy_williams #sportsbiz
— Scott Soshnick (@soshnick) January 3, 2019
"We couldn't be more excited to work with one of the world's largest gaming and entertainment companies," said Renie Anderson, Senior Vice President, NFL Partnerships, Sponsorship and Consumer Products, in the official 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."
"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," said Mark Frissora, President and CEO of Caesars Entertainment. "Combining the league's 180 million fans with our 55 million Total Rewards loyalty program members will expose millions of people to the exclusive and exciting year-round opportunities at our properties."
What NFL picks can you make with confidence during the Wild Card Round? And which top Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine to see which NFL teams are winning more than 50 percent of simulations, all from the model that has beaten 98 percent of experts over the past two years.
The league noted in its release that the partnership is "for the casino category only and do not include sports betting, daily fantasy or hotels/resorts."
Last month, the Saints joined the Cowboys, Ravens, Jets, Seahawks, and Lions as NFL teams that have official advertising deals with casinos. The Cowboys became the first team to sign an official casino partner, and they were followed by the Ravens and then the Jets. The Seahawks announced their deal in early December, while the Lions and MGM announced plans for the casino company to build a luxury space at Ford Field.
It seems that the league is increasingly wading into the casino space, though it is notable that it has yet to sign any deals that include sports betting or daily fantasy. Given the trend of casino deals, though, that cannot be far behind.
