MLB and Gambling Sponsors: A Newfound Partnership
Sponsorship of sports is not a new pastime. Sport is a huge global industry with a massive following, making it the perfect vehicle for brands to get their name out there and promote their sites, apps, and sports betting games. Gambling sponsors have dominated football for more than a decade, but in the past couple of years, gambling providers have found another sport to back: Major League Baseball (MLB).
Gambling sponsors in sports
Sports teams are the ideal sponsor for gambling providers, online casinos, and sports betting agencies. The players’ uniforms and televised matches are the perfect billboards to advertise gambling brands and get their name seen by a global audience. In Championship football, 17 out of 24 clubs currently have gambling logos emblazoned on their shirts.
Gambling providers have sponsored football for decades but are now starting to gain prevalence in more sports – and the impact on Major League Baseball has been significant.
In 2019, MLB and FanDuel (a branch of Flutter Entertainment) announced a multi-year agreement. This was the fourth sports betting partnership MLB made in as many months and was the latest signing in MLB’s new Authorized Gaming Operator (AGO) program.
The program is the first of its kind between MLB and sports betting entities and signals a historic new partnership forming between baseball and gambling providers.
Changes in American gambling legislation
The newfound partnership between MLB and sports betting entities came after a revolutionary change in gambling legislation. In May 2018, the US Supreme Court’s PASPA passed the verdict that individual states could legalize sports gambling within their borders.
The ruling meant sports betting companies could, for the first time, be granted permission to use the MLB branding, data feeds, and live results across their platforms.
Following the change in legislation, gambling sponsorship of sports rocketed in the US. The impact was especially felt in MLB and a landmark moment came in 2019 when Michigan’s change in betting legislation saw Detroit Tigers and PointsBet make sponsorship history.
Fantasy sports sponsors
Fantasy sports providers like FanDuel are faring particularly well from sponsorships of sports. Over 40 million Americans play fantasy leagues on gambling sites and fantasy sports betting has since significant daily growth since America’s change in gambling legislation.
While most fantasy leagues focus on football, FanDuel’s new sponsorship deals with MLB, NBA (National Basketball Association), and NHL (National Hockey League) suggests that fantasy sports betting is filtering into other sports.
The future of gambling sponsors in MLB
Gambling sponsorship of sport has changed the experience of gamblers and sports fans alike. With new gambling legalization in place, sports betting companies have been able to integrate promotion for their online entertainment services into more sports and provide users with real-time results and data feeds.
Major League Baseball has been at the forefront of new gambling sponsorship deals. With multiple multi-year agreements being signed with gambling providers this year alone, it looks like gambling sponsors in MLB are set to stay.
