Professional football and professional gambling have gone hand in hand for decades, but the NFL has never officially recognized the practice. It came a lot closer on Thursday, however.
The NFL has named Caesars Entertainment as its first ever “official casino sponsor,” which will give the gaming brand the exclusive right to use NFL trademarks in its properties, along with other promotional benefits.
The reported three-year, $30 million partnership, which will kick off during the 2019 playoff season, is focused entirely on Caesar’s casino properties and does not include the company’s sports betting or fantasy games. The partnership comes just eight months after the Supreme court ruled the 1992 law that made sports gambling illegal across much of the country was unconstitutional. That decision allowed states that wanted to open sports betting to do so, a potential blow to Caesars and other Vegas-centric casinos.
In partnering with the NFL, though, Caesars will host elements of the 2020 draft and could lure more NFL fans to its casinos (and, by extension, its sports book areas).
“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.”