Caesars Entertainment Becomes First NFL Casino Sponsor
The NFL announced a partnership Thursday with Caesars Entertainment, making the gaming company the first "Official Casino Sponsor" of the league in history. According to the release, the partnership begins with this season's playoffs. Caesars is offering "unique experiences for NFL fans by using its casino properties, celebrity chefs, premier music artists, and a wide range of entertainment elements."
"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 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."
The agreement gives Caesars exclusive NFL rights to league trademarks in the United States and United Kingdom in promoting Caesars casino properties. Seven teams already had deals in place with Caesars, but both those deals and the league partnership cover casino gaming only. They do not cover sportsbooks, daily fantasy or hotels.
The other three sports leagues, MLB, NBA and NHL have all entered into partnerships with MGM that are more focused on the sports gambling aspect of the gaming industry with MGM sportsbooks using official league data in their bookmaking operations. The NFL deal with Caesars does not include the sharing of league data.
The deal comes just a few months after the league announced that Las Vegas would host the 2020 NFL Draft.