Major League Soccer Sees More Fan Engagement, Revenue Opportunity in Sports Betting
19 Março 2019 - 8:45PM
Dow Jones News
By Maria Armental
Major League Soccer is looking to open new revenue sources and
reach fans by signing a deal making MGM Resorts International (MGM)
its first official gambling partner, a league official told The
Wall Street Journal.
Under the four-year deal with MLS, Roar Digital -- a joint
venture between MGM and GVC Holdings PLC -- will be MLS's official
sports betting partner. Also, MGM and MLS will develop an exclusive
"Free to Play" game that could help drive adoption of sports
betting in states where it is already regulated and build a base of
potential bettors in other states.
Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
Sports betting is woven into the fabric of the MLS fan base and
there are integrity-monitoring companies already in place, said
Gary Stevenson, MLS deputy commissioner and president of business
ventures, in an interview.
"Sports betting has been part of sport for a long, long time, so
it's not like we are breaking new turf here," he said.
MLS is working on changes to its commercial guidelines that
would allow for similar sponsorships at the team level, allowing,
for example, sports-betting companies to be jersey sponsors, Mr.
Stevenson said.
The updated guidelines should be in place in about three months,
he said, though the application will vary by state since not each
one has legalized sports betting.
Best known for its Las Vegas casinos such as the MGM Grand and
the Bellagio, MGM has reached similar deals with the National
Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League
Baseball since a Supreme Court ruling last year paved the way for
legalized sports betting across the U.S.
(www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-ruling-for-new-jersey-opens-door-to-sports-betting-1526308430?mod=article_inline)
Rival casino operator Caesars Entertainment Corp., meanwhile,
has reached deals with the NFL and Turner Sports, now part of
AT&T Inc.
MGM Chief Executive Jim Murren pointed to the Caesars-Turner
deal in a recent earnings call, noting that MGM sees sports betting
"as a larger opportunity than simply betting on sports."
The MLB deal opened opportunities in Japan, with MGM hosting a
series of roadshow events that MLB was doing in the country, Mr.
Murren said.
Sports leagues see expanded betting as a new -- and potentially
large -- source of revenue.
New Jersey, where sports betting became legal in June, generated
more than $1.2 billion in wagers in 2018. Nearly two-thirds of the
total came from online betting, according to the state's Division
of Gaming Enforcement.
Write to Maria Armental at maria.armental@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 19, 2019 19:30 ET (23:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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