In late August, National Football League team owners voted to allow casinos to advertise in pre- and post-season games. As a result, the Dallas Cowboys named WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma as its official casino sponsor—the first partnership of its kind between an NFL franchise and a casino. MGM Resorts International also recently was named as the NBA’s official casino sponsor.
These developments recently were the subject of a closely watched Congressional hearing on sports betting. American Gaming Association officials said these arrangements are prime examples of how professional sports franchises and gaming operators should interact. The AGA said these deals not only can help drive fan interaction, but they also can prove that sports betting deals can be accomplished through contracts between the two parties, not statutory obligations from the government.
WinStar World Casino and Resort General Manager Jack Parkinson said the Dallas Cowboys deal will result in significant brand exposure for the casino throughout AT&T Stadium and the Star at Ford Center. Also, the transaction will entitle WinStar to the Cowboys’ first preseason game each year plus title sponsorship of the team’s pregame show on its official website, mobile app, Facebook Live, Connected TV and Periscope for every home and away game. Parkinson added WinStar also is developing unique and customized Cowboys’ experiences that will be revealed to patrons and fans later in the season.
Clyde Barrow, a gaming policy expert at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, said the proximity of one of the world’s largest casinos to the Dallas area is a major factor behind the arrangement. The Texas-Oklahoma border is less than 100 miles from AT&T Stadium and WinStar World Casino has long been a preferred gaming resort for Cowboys’ fans.
But Parkinson noted, the new rules still prohibit NFL franchises from taking a share of revenue for any business driven to casinos and gambling or betting sites. “We will comply with that NFL policy which means that patrons will not experience branded or themed machines or sports books, if they are legalized in Oklahoma,” Parkinson said.
He added WinStar’s partnership with the Cowboys will have little effect on Oklahoma’s efforts to legalize sports gambling.
