The Detroit Tigers have made history as the first MLB team to enter into a multi-year sports betting partnership with a gaming operator. The Tigers recently announced a partnership with PointsBet, which is a growing sports betting entity looking to gain more traction in the industry.
This announcement comes just prior to the MLB’s 2020 season, which will play an abbreviated 60 game schedule this year. The Tigers, and the state of Michigan, are hoping that sports betting revenue can help provide a boost to the struggling economy.
Welcome News for Sports Fans
The announcement has been well received by fans of the Tigers, MLB and sports bettors alike. With the start to the season rapidly approaching, the excitement is starting to build for this new partnership and the opportunities it could open up throughout the league.
Sports betting was just made legal last December in the state of Michigan, so things have come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. Regulators had the goal of launching to the online market by the end of 2020, but this deal will accelerate all previous plans.
While this is the first sports betting partnership deal within the MLB, it’s certainly not the first deal of its kind. Last month, the NFL’s Denver Broncos signed their own sports betting partnership deal with FanDuel in order to create buzz and excitement for the team and the state.
What’s Included in the Deal
Besides the deal injecting some excitement and anticipation into the sport, it also gives PointsBet a chance to get some serious exposure.
The deal will provide PointsBet with branding that will appear in the stadium, which of course will be front in center during all the live on-air games. Additionally, there is a District Detroit and MLB Ballpark app that will also be integrated with PointsBet.
Chris Granger, Ilitch Holdings Group President for Sports & Entertainment, commented on this ground breaking deal for the Tigers:
“We are thrilled to welcome PointsBet as a gaming partner of the Detroit Tigers. Our incredible fans will love the unique experiences and innovative offerings that PointsBet’s personalised platform provides. We look forward to the fan-friendly enhancements this will bring to the game-day experience in and around Comerica Park for years to come.”
A Recent Deal Made the Tigers Partnership Possible
This new partnership between the Detroit Tigers and PointsBet could not have been made possible without first making a deal with Major League Baseball as a whole.
PointsBet strategically became an authorized gaming operator of the MLB. What this does essentially is give them access to the official league products, data, logos, and more. That was the door that had to be opened before partnering with the Detroit Tigers.
PointsBet celebrated this historic deal with the Tigers. Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA CEO, hyped up the ground breaking partnership and discussed how PointsBet is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this venture due to its exclusive ownership of their operating technology.
Aitken went on to point out that PointsBet offers up sports enthusiasts the most options in the entire world when it comes to betting on MLB games, making it a true leader in the industry.
There’s no doubt that this deal will inspire other gaming entities to try and partner with other MLB teams in markets where sports betting is legal. In fact, PointsBet is already on the hunt for their next baseball partnership.
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
