Three of the biggest bookmakers in the United States have announced that they have partnered with the National Football League (NFL) to become the official sports betting partners of the NFL.
FanDuel, Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings have entered into a five year partnership with the NFL that is estimated to be worth $1 billion together. Those privy to the agreement stated that the financial structure of the deal is not linked to the outcome of bets placed on NFL games which is how most traditional sports betting partnerships are based.
SportsGrid
The deals will these three betting operators the option to introduce sports betting content into multiple NFL media outlets which include the NFL app and NFL.com. While the final details of the partnership is yet to be released to the public, insiders suggest that betting odds and point spreads from these three sportsbooks will be inserted into the NFL coverage across all of its platforms.
The sportsbooks will also broadcast post-game highlights along with NFL logos and league marks via their mobile betting apps. The three betting operators will also leverage the NFL’s official data feed and work with the league on sharing intelligence and educating bettors on responsible gambling practices. The NFL has given itself an exit option to break the partnership in the third and fourth years, should it be deemed necessary.
Times have changed significantly for the NFL who was one of the main opponents of legalized sports betting in the past. After the Supreme Court ruled in favour of New Jersey in May 2018 and repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), the NFL along with other sporting leagues such as the NBA and MLB changed their stance on sports betting and became more open to it.
Since May 2018, more than half the states in the country have legalized sports betting and a number of other states are in talks about legalizing sports betting. The NFL wants to capitalize on the lucrative multi-billion dollar sports betting market in the states and partnership with top sportsbooks like FanDuel, Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings gives the NFL the ability to do just this.
The NFL will now partner for the first time with sportsbooks in America. NFL CRO Renie Anderson said the sports betting deal will now give NFL fans a lot more ways for them to engage with American football.