After decades of steering clear of establishing any official affiliation with gambling, the NFL is going all-in on sports betting and has announced sportsbook partnerships with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel.
Spanning five years apiece, the three deals are worth close to $1 billion combined, a source with knowledge of the agreement told Front Office Sports. The deals could be worth less overall if they do not run to completion, and the NFL does have opt-outs it can choose to execute toward the end of the agreements, Sportico reports.
“As the sports betting landscape has continued to evolve in the United States, we have been thoughtful with our strategy and are excited to announce three partners who share the NFL’s vision and goals,” said NFL chief revenue officer Renie Anderson. “Working closely with Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel, we will provide fans new and different ways of interacting and engaging with the sport they love.”
As the league’s official betting partners, Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel will be cleared to use the NFL shield and team logos on their platforms and will have real estate on the league’s website and app to integrate betting content. Some access to NFL footage and highlights is also part of the deals. Caesars Entertainment will continue to be the league’s official casino sponsor.
The last of the major U.S. sports leagues to partner with an American sportsbook, the NFL had previously partnered with sportsbooks in Australia and Latin America. As part of the new deals, all three partners have agreed to “adhere to the NFL’s core integrity policies, and will collaborate with the NFL on intelligence sharing, advocacy efforts, and responsible gaming education” in order to “protect the integrity of the game and its fans.”
“We know it’s going to continue to evolve and change, so as we continue to learn how this really amplifies that engagement, which is really the core, key priority why we’re in this business, engaging the most rabid fan base on the planet,” Anderson told ESPN. “We’re excited about that and think through data and a variety of other areas we’re going to learn a lot and continue to evolve the space and grow that key point of engagement for our fans.”
To date, 25 states and Washington, D.C. have approved some form of sports betting, and legislation to legalize sports wagering is pending in many other locations across the country.
Though it isn’t one of the league’s new official partners, William Hill just released its projected win totals for the 2021 season.
If some of those totals look a little high, remember there will be 17 regular-season games this season.
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