Caesars and ESPN forge a strategic sports betting content partnership that will further cement Las Vegas as the epicenter of sports culture
On the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that struck down a long-standing federal sports betting ban, Caesars Entertainment and ESPN announced a wide-ranging sports wagering content deal.
The deal, effective immediately, will see the development of an ESPN-branded studio at Caesars’ LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The studio is set to launch in 2020 and will become the Vegas home for odds-related content that will be distributed across ESPN’s platforms. The popular sports network will also create segments for its newly launched sports betting show Daily Wager at its new Las Vegas studio.
As part of the recently forged deal, Caesars will become ESPN’s official supplier of odds data across both its television and digital programming. The integration of Caesars data and branding is set to take place within the coming weeks, the two companies said Tuesday.
The LINQ studio will also play “a vital role” during major sports events, particularly during the growing number of marquee events set to be hosted in Las Vegas.
Caesars and ESPN are planning to roll out additional advertising and sponsorship activations in the months to come and throughout the term of their deal, it also became known on Tuesday.
This is not the first deal of this kind Caesars has landed in recent months. Earlier this year, the Las Vegas casino giant announced that it has joined forces with AT&T’s Turner Sports for the development of a Bleacher Report-branded studio at Caesars’ flagship property Caesars Palace. The studio will include programming geared toward both gambling and regular content.
A Partnership Built “Upon a Stable of Betting-Related Content”
The Caesars-ESPN deal aims to capitalize on last year’s annulment of the federal sports betting ban and the subsequent regulation of sports wagering in multiple states. Eight states have launched legal sports betting since May 14, 2018 and several more have legalized the practice or have kicked off efforts to legalize it since then.
Commenting on the deal with ESPN, Caesars said on Tuesday that the agreement is being built “upon a stable of betting-related content that dates back more than 10 years,” referring to ESPN’s numerous programs focused on sports gambling.
Mike Morrison, VP of Business Development at ESPN, said on Tuesday that the network is set to “expand its coverage in a big way and working with a category leader like Caesars Entertainment will help [them]
serve” the highly engaged, diverse sports fans that are coming to them for “the best and most relevant content possible.”
ESPN EVP of Content Connor Schell added that having Caesars as their partner and a full studio presence in Las Vegas will help them create the type of content that taps into the sports culture. Mr. Schell added that with the increased interest in sports betting, the regular hosting of marquee sporting events, including the upcoming NFL Draft, and the arrival of the Golden Knights and the Raiders, Las Vegas is now the epicenter of that culture.
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