Tag: DraftKings

NFL Names Caesars Its First Casino Sponsor in History

Posted on by Grant Mahon

In the past, NFL had kept itself away from anything remotely connected to gambling. However, the league has softened its anti-gambling stance after the PASPA was overridden by Supreme Court in 2018. Three years later, NFL has named Caesars its first-ever casino sponsor.

In addition to making a sponsorship deal with the casino chain, the NFL also made a pack with an online sportsbook. The website in question is DraftKings, which will be the league’s official betting partner from now on.

Caesars & DraftKings Get Rights to NFL Media

According to the deals signed between the NFL and the two gaming giants, Caesars and DraftKings will get rights to the league’s logos, marks, and data. The two companies will also be able to use the media available on NFL.com, as well as on its official mobile app.

Caesars will use the agreement to push on their online sports betting business, rather than using the deal for promoting their retail sportsbooks.

When it comes to DraftKings, the company already has a deal with the NFL, which was signed in 2019. The new deal is thought of as an extension of that agreement, which will see DraftKings getting many additional perks.

For example, the online sportsbook will be allowed to use NFL stats and present game highlights on its platform.

Caesars’ NFL Story Continues

This is the first time Caesars Entertainment has signed a contract directly with the NFL. However, the casino company has been sponsoring seven NFL teams for a while now. Those teams include:

  • Kansas City Chiefs
  • Baltimore Ravens
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Las Vegas Raiders
  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Carolina Panthers
  • New Orleans Saints

As per Caesars’ deal with the New Orleans Saints, the team’s stadium could get a new name this year. Currently called the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the arena is expected to bear Caesars’ name during the next NFL season.

The 2021 NFL deal is meant to cement Caesar’s reputation as America’s favorite casino operator. It’s also meant to help the company with its online sportsbook, which is currently available in three states – Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Still, the company’s ambitions are much higher than that. Caesars would love to expand its online betting business to other states in the near future and the NFL deal is bound to bring them the much-needed exposure.

DraftKings Launches a Massive Marketing Offense

Same as Caesars, DraftKings is also planning to expand its online sportsbook network around the United States. The company is already considered one of the top players in the internet gaming market and it seems that things can only get better for DraftKings.

The reason is that the company has made several big-money sponsorship deals with leading sports organizations in the United States. Apart from the deal with the NFL, DraftKings also sponsors the UFC.

It also has partnership deals with WWE, who made DraftKings the official betting partner of WrestleMania 37, which took place last weekend.

The online gaming giant also sponsors the NBA franchise Detroit Pistons, MLB’s Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.

DraftKings Becomes the Official Gaming Partner of WrestleMania 37

Posted on by Grant Mahon

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., better known as WWE, has recently signed a deal with DraftKings, making it its official gaming partner.

According to the chief business officer of the Boston-based gaming company Ezra Kucharz, the deal is meant to “fuel the engagement and drama of WWE’s signature matchups and storylines, as audiences enjoy the second-screen experiences our products provide.”

DraftKings Sportsbook will not be able to offer WrestleMania betting to its users, considering that these sorts of bets are not allowed in the United States. Instead, the platform will direct wrestling fans to its free-to-play contest.

No Betting on WrestleMania 37 at DraftKings

The US gambling law prohibits betting on events whose outcome is known before the start. This way, the law keeps the integrity of competitions, while also ensuring fair play.

Considering that professional wrestling is scripted, betting on WWE events such as WrestleMania 37 would be illegal. However, it seems that betting is not the reason why Draft Kings has decided to team up with WWE.

Instead, the company’s goal is to get on the radar of as many Americans as possible. Knowing that WrestleMania’s viewing figures are super-high, it appears that the partnership deal is going to bring DraftKings exactly what they wanted.

Since making its debut in 1985, WrestleMania has been one of the most successful pay-per-view (PPV) events in the United States. Some of the milestones it’s achieved over the years include:

  • With 91,173 fans inside Pontiac Silverdome, WrestleMania was the highest-attended indoor sports event in history before losing the title to the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
  • WrestleMania 32 holds the record for the highest attendance in the history of professional wrestling with 101,763 fans.
  • WrestleMania 28 is among the top 30 most successful PPV events in history, with 1.217 million buys.
  • Former US President Donald Trump made an appearance in WrestleMania 23.

On top of everything, Morgan Stanley analyst Thomas Allen said that it’s estimated that WEE had nearly 40 billion digital video views in 2020, making it one of the most powerful media companies in the world.

DraftKings Has Made a Similar Deal With the UFC

DraftKing’s marketing strategy of making itself visible to a wide sports-loving audience is a plan that’s already in motion. The partnership deal with WWE is not the first deal they’ve inked. In 2019, DraftKings became a partner of the NFL, while also sponsoring several teams from the top US leagues, e.g., the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL), Chicago Cubs (MLB), and Detroit Pistons (NBA).

More recently, the company did something similar with the UFC. The deal in question is meant to last at least five years, with its total value being somewhere in the ballpark of $350 million.

The DraftKings-UFC partnership seems like the best deal for the online gaming company. According to it, DraftKings is the “sportsbook and daily fantasy partner for UFC.”

Considering that MMA is a real sport, in which the outcome of the fight is not known until the fighters actually get into the octagon, nothing is stopping DraftKings Sportsbook from offering UFC betting.

More news for DraftKings Sportsbook comes from New York, where lawmakers are working hard on the legalization of online betting. If everything goes according to plan, DraftKings could go live in the Empire State in about a year.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.

West Virginia Becomes 4th US State to Legalize Online Casinos

Posted on by Grant Mahon

As of Wednesday, July 15, there are four states within the US where online casino gambling is legal. The most recent addition is West Virginia whose lawmakers have recently okayed this gambling form. Previously, the only states where online gambling was permitted were New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

DraftKings Casino is the first gambling platform to go online in this state. In partnership with Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino, DraftKings has launched its casino website, as well as its WV mobile app, which is available in two versions – one for Android and one for iOS devices.

DraftKings Embraces Online Casino Business

DraftKings is perhaps best known as a daily fantasy website, which is how this company started out back in 2012. Once the sports betting ban got lifted as a result of New Jersey’s case in front of the US Supreme Court, many states started passing laws to make online betting legal and regulated.

DraftKings wanted to get on the bandwagon right away, applying for a license in a number of betting-friendly states all across the United States.

After the company’s decision to branch out its business proved successful, DraftKings decided to get in on the online casino business. Pennsylvania and New Jersey were the first two states where DraftKings online casino launched.

Pennsylvania saw the birth of the DraftKings Casino on May 1, 2020. In New Jersey, the standalone casino app launched on June 24, 2020. Before that, the casino was a part of the NJ DraftKings Sportsbook. Exactly three weeks later, DraftKings Casino West Virginia went online for the first time.

What Games Can You Play at DraftKings Casino West Virginia?

Real-money online slots make up most of the DraftKings Casino game library in the other two states. There are slots of different types to be found there, including 3-reel, 5-reel slots, 3d games, progressive jackpot slots, and so on. The games are developed by some of the world’s most reputable software companies, such as NetEnt, IGT, and Spin Games.

You might not get to play slots straight away at DraftKings WV Casino as these guys are typically regulated the last. In the meantime, West Virginia players can quench their casino thirst by playings table games like blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and others.

Are Other States Expected to Follow West Virginia’s Example?

Right now, only four states within the Union are when gaming fans can play online casino games legally. The number of states is expected to go up drastically, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing measures preventing people to go to land-based casinos en mase, online gaming seems like a better alternative.

Furthermore, the experience from the states that have already made online gambling legal shows that during the pandemic, this industry can serve as an important source of income for the state budget. For example, online slots in Pennsylvania created a $38m revenue last month. Land-based casinos in coronavirus-ridden Nevada probably aren’t going to get anywhere near that number.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.