The PGA Tour, the professional golf organization behind the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, has revised its regulations to allow casino and betting operators to participate in its more than two dozen annual matches as sponsors.
The changes also allow players and tournaments to negotiate their own deals independently of the Tour.
“We want to develop partnerships in the gaming and fantasy industry that drive fan engagement, that provide our fans a deeper way to enjoy golf,” said David Miller, the Tour’s vice president and assistant general counsel. “We expect these partnerships will help create new golf gaming products that will enhance the in-venue and at-home fan experience.”
Sponsorships in the U.S. market will be limited to casino companies and fantasy sports providers. Bookmakers will be considered for sponsorships but only internationally, the Tour said.
Prior to the changes, the Tour had prohibited any association with gambling companies. But as Senior Vice President Andy Levinson explained, “As the situation with legalized sports betting in the U.S. has evolved since the Supreme Court’s ruling last May, we’ve seen broader acceptance in sports betting and gaming involvement with pro sports. We felt it was time to look at our policies, given the public perception around gaming, and to update those policies to be consistent with public sentiment.”
As part of a new Integrity Program the Tour has developed, Genius Sports, a leading global provider of sports monitoring services, has been hired to tailor an educational program that will help players, caddies and officials identify, resist and report incidents of potential betting corruption.
