Casino Sponsorship in the NFL

The NFL has had a well-documented history of sponsorship from many different areas. In fact, in terms of revenue, sponsorship is still one of the biggest drivers there is when it comes to the NFL, and American sports in general. One avenue that is often ignored, is gambling and casino sponsorship, especially considering the upsurge of top online casinos like these sites, who’d want to get involved in the long run. It has tied in with the NFL in a big way for most of its history, so we have taken a look into what casino sponsorship is offered for the NFL, and how it works.

Gambling History

Something that is actually often ignored in a major fashion, is that gambling and the NFL have gone hand in hand for many years. Long before it was legalized within the US, many players enjoyed gambling on NFL games. This has continued in the modern world with lots of online gambling sites available on the market that offer additional sports betting options to players.

This means that it makes sense for online casinos to make the move into sponsoring the NFL. Because there are a large number of viewers who are interested in all betting sites in Nigeria, and gambling on the NFL specifically, it means that the people who consume the product, would be their target audience.

Caesar’s Starts a New Era

It might have come as a shock to some people when Caesar’s was announced as the first casino sponsor of the NFL. The main reason that it would be surprising to players, is that the NFL was once opposed to gambling, and sports betting specifically, being any part of league sponsorship.

This is, because the NFL believed that sports betting being allowed would lead to issues, in terms of integrity of the league. In fact, the NFL went to court as recently as 2012, in order to try and stop sports betting from taking place on NFL games.

Its argument was that allowing sports betting, could harm the image of the league, and even if there was no foul play taking place, just the suspicion of it, would damage the integrity of the league. Obviously, since then, the NFL has taken a much less harsh stance, and it has come to the conclusion that sports betting is not only harmless in terms of the league, but it can also be of a benefit.

This is why, after some teams within the league signed sponsorship deals with betting companies, the league itself decided to make the decision to allow for sponsorship. It’s a move that is somewhat behind other leagues. However, the NFL felt that this was a move it had to take.

As sports betting is entrenched within US life now, the ability for players to get access to online casinos which have sportsbook facilities, is unlikely to be taken away. So, by refusing to work with casinos, the NFL would be in essence, punishing itself. As such, it took the decision to work with one of the biggest casino brands in the world.

More than just Caesar’s

It’s not just a deal with Caesar’s that is in place. The NFL has also inked a deal with FanDuel and DraftKings. It means that NFL branding will be allowed to be used on the online portals for these sites. For DraftKings especially, it is an important deal, as it is quickly managing to place itself as one of the market leaders for online sports betting. By partnering with DraftKings, it puts the NFL in a very strong position.

The deal should allow sports betting to grow at a faster rate, as the approval of the NFL itself will carry some weight in terms of legitimizing the practice. This in turn, should increase the level of revenue that comes back to the NFL from its sponsorship deals. While there are obviously no guarantees that this will be the case, signing a deal with the biggest name in the industry is always likely to be the most sensible option.

These deals could just be the start, as the NFL is always looking for new ways to increase revenue streams, and ensure that it is able to sustain itself.