The National Football League has for the first time signed a marketing deal with a casino company, announcing a sponsorship deal with Caesars Entertainment.
Financial terms of the deal were not released, but the Associated Press as well as other outlets reported it is worth $30 million a year over three years.
The sponsorship will begin with the upcoming NFL playoffs and gives Caesars exclusive rights to use NFL trademarks—including “Super Bowl”—in the U.S. and UK. Most gaming companies—as well as other businesses—have to avoid using “Super Bowl” in promotions, usually branding it the Big Game.
Under the deal, however, NFL trademarks will not appear in Caesars sportsbooks
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with one of the world’s largest gaming and entertainment companies,” Renie Anderson, senior vice president of NFL partnerships, sponsorship and consumer products, said in a press release announcing the deal. “Combining the NFL with Caesars’ expertise in world-class entertainment will provide our fans unique experiences both here in the United States and abroad.”
Caesars officials said the league and the casino will combine fan bases for promotions.
“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,” Caesars Entertainment CEO Mark Frissora said in the release. “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 move is a departure for the NFL which has long sought to disassociate itself from casino gambling and sports betting.
Still, the partnership only includes casino gaming and does not include “sports betting, daily fantasy or hotel/resorts,” according to the release. That restriction also applies to the seven NFL franchises that have partnerships with Caesars Entertainment—the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles, according to the release.
Recently the NBA, NHL and MLB have signed deals with MGM Resorts International that have been centered on sports betting. MGM sportsbooks will use official league data from those leagues for their sports betting operations. According to various reports, MGM was also seeking the sponsorship deal with the NFL.
The NFL-Caesars deal, however, does not include data sharing.
Caesars along with other casinos will also host elements of the 2020 draft in coordination with the city of Las Vegas.
