One of the gaming icons of the state of New Jersey , gaming giant Bally’s, recently came to terms to begin a strategic partnership agreement with the NHL. The multi-year deal sees Bally’s making its first-ever sports betting partnership with one of the United States’ ‘Big 4’ professional sports leagues. The deal provides Bally’s the with rights to use NHL logos and marks in addition to the access of the League’s official data across its growing numbers of sports betting products. What’s more, through its media agreement with its partner, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, Bally’s will be providing engaging content for NHL fans and as such, integrating that content into live NHL game coverage across the 19 regional sports networks covered by the deal. Bally’s & the National Hockey League Delighted to Join Forces George Papanier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bally’s Corporation put forward his enthusiasm for the deal with the NHL; “We are thrilled to enter into this partnership with the NHL, which represents an important milestone in our strategy to become a leader in the online sports betting and iGaming space. With access to the NHL’s official logos and brands, together with our first-of-its-kind media partnership with Sinclair, we will continue on our path to transform how fans engage with their favorite hockey teams,” Mr. Papanier announced. Speaking for the NHL, its Chief Business Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, Keith Wachtel echoed the Bally’s boss’ announcement; “We’re thrilled to become the first national sports league partner of Bally’s Corporation. With its Sinclair Broadcast Group partnership combined with a strong strategic vision for its portfolio of sports betting products, Bally’s is an ideal partner for the NHL to further engage our avid fan base on a national and local level,” Wachtel said. However, this is far from the first time a North American NHL team has formed a sponsorship agreement with a betting operator. Just last month, ahead of rolling out its online sportsbook in the Garden State, Australian sportsbook PlayUp announced signing a sports betting deal with our own New Jersey Devils. Fast forward to February, and earlier this month another of the ice hockey league’s leading franchises and arguably the favorite sports team in the state of Michigan, the Detroit Red Wings, named yet another Australian sportsbook firm PointsBet, as its official gaming partner, under the terms of an agreement heavily focused on fan engagement, much like the Bally’s/overall NHL deal. Bally’s Proactive & Aggressive Recent Expansion In recent times, Bally’s has been one of the most proactive and aggressive gaming and sports betting companies in the United States. In November 2020, Bally’s purchased Bet.Works and that company is now providing the technology for the expanding sports betting operations for the gaming company. Sports betting is not the only venture into online gaming that Bally’s is dipping its toes into after Daily Fantasy Sports and free-to-play games recently became a target for the operator. Bally’s also recently purchased Monkey Knife Fight (MKF) with the deal finalized this month, and additionally has invested heavily in SportCaller. The MKF purchase is considered to one of the most influential in recent online sports gaming history, with the Daily Fantasy Sports operator the third largest in the nation behind industry leaders, FanDuel and DraftKings, and a gateway to launching an online sportsbook with a set group of users. It is not expected that Bally’s will decrease their market activity anytime soon. A host of big opportunities are still allegedly sitting unannounced in the pipeline as the company looks to push forward deeper into the consciousness of sports bettors in New Jersey and across the United States as a whole.
