As New York waits to see what Fanatics will bring to betting in the state, with Jay-Z lined up as a brand ambassador and the biggest name in entertainment ever to front a sportsbook, it signals a massive gear change for the industry’s marketing strategies.
With the huge growth in sports betting in the USA in the last few years, there has been an explosion in partnership arrangements between sports betting companies and teams, leagues and broadcasters.
Even before legal sports betting became a reality with the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for waves of US states to lift their bans on online gambling, the nation’s major sports leagues were already suggesting partnerships could be "useful engagement tools”.
The theory holds that fans who have staked money on the outcome of sporting contests are more likely to attend, tune in and stay engaged until the end. The long-held stigma and suspicion around gambling in the US is also quickly eroding with its legalization in many states.
Sportsbooks entering new markets are incredibly keen to engage with as many fans and potential customers as possible, in a bid to encourage new signups who they can then set about retaining.
Being linked with local teams is a fine way to do such a thing. If the New York Jets are happy to be associated with one of the top NY sportsbooks, then surely the fans will too. Or so the supposition suggests. For the teams, sponsorship deals are a huge and growing revenue stream.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey were two of the states to 'go first' with legal sports betting. The four big Philadelphia teams covering the most popular leagues in the US - the Phillies (MLB), the Eagles (NFL), the 76ers (NBA) and the Flyers (NHL) - were soon lured into relationships with betting firms.
The same happened in New Jersey with the Devils plus the New York teams playing in the state including the Jets, the NY Giants and the Red Bulls.
As the biggest market for sports betting in North America, it follows that there are plenty of partnerships between New York’s huge players and the sportsbooks. Here are the biggest deals to date:
Sportsbook | Partnered With |
Brooklyn Nets Buffalo Bills Buffalo Sabres New York Jets New York Liberty | |
New York Giants New York Knicks New York Rangers | |
Buffalo Bills New York Knicks New York Mets New York Racing Association New York Rangers | |
New York Jets New York Knicks New York Rangers | |
New York Jets | |
New York Yankees |
In order to reach as many fans as possible, some sportsbooks sponsor multiple competing teams in a state, such as FanDuel who have partnered with both the Jets and the Buffalo Bills in the NFL.
Similarly, some teams have struck deals with multiple sportsbooks. The New York Knicks, for example, have sponsorship arrangements with DraftKings, Caesars and BetMGM.
In addition to team sponsorships, New York’s leading sportsbooks have also teamed up with a host of sports leagues and governing bodies as official partners. They include:
League | Betting Partners |
BetMGM FanDuel WynnBet | |
Bet MGM BallyBet DraftKings FanDuel | |
Bally Bet BetMGM Caesars DraftKings FanDuel | |
BallyBet BetMGM DraftKings FanDuel | |
BetMGM |
BetMGM and Caesars are linked with the New York Racing Association while the pair are also signed up with Madison Square Garden.
At the Yankee Stadium you’ll be greeted with FanDuel branding and at the Metlife, the WynnBet Green Room is one of the stadium’s most popular luxury lounges.
It was developed as part of Wynn’s sponsorship of the Jets as a space to offer a premium experience to visitors where they can enjoy refreshments and access to betting counters while watching the game.
Of the biggest sports broadcasters in the US, CBS has long-standing formal links to Caesars as they have with ESPN along with FanDuel and DraftKings. The latter pair are also teamed up with TNT Sports.
Signing up with a sportsbook because it’s partnered with your favorite team, league or a channel you subscribe to is never the foremost reason for doing so. The range of betting options, quality of the app, and of course the best sportsbook promos are some of the main reasons bettors will choose a particular sportsbook.
But sponsorship must work to bring awareness and new customers to their platforms, given the number of endorsement arrangements that the biggest betting brands in the US enter into.
Sportsbook operators wouldn’t pay out millions of dollars per annum if they weren’t sure of a payback.
And as fan engagement becomes an increasingly crucial strategy, perhaps it does enhance the overall customer experience - that can only be a positive, so long as it’s done responsibly.
