PokerStars has strived to thrive in the United States poker industry. It has signed sponsorship deals with popular organizations and companies. The poker operator recently signed a deal that made it the second online poker company to collaborate with a National Hockey League (NHL) team.
The Original Six Team Partners With PokerStars
The Detroit Red Wings is an eleven-time Stanley Cup winner. It disclosed last week that it would sign a sponsorship deal with PokerStars.
Their agreement will last for a few years ensuring that the PokerStars brand will become famous in Little Caesars Arena, the Wings' home ground. Thus, each side will benefit from the new deal.
Chris McGowan, the CEO and President of Ilitch Sports & Entertainment stated that the partnership will thrill poker players and fans. He added that it will be amazing to see the poker operator's branding at the arena.
Severin Rasset, PokerStars' Marketing Director in the U.S., said they are excited and proud to develop a long-term partnership with the Detroit Red Wings that will help them offer the PokerStars community great gaming experiences. Besides, they will increase their offers for Michigan players and those from other states.
PokerStars has gradually become a reliable online poker site in several states. Reports state that it only ranks behind Pennsylvania PokerStars providing a 160 seven-day player average thus making it one of the top five operators.
Its sponsorship deal with Detroit Red Wings will ensure that it will get emblazoned on the ice and in the arena thus promoting responsible gaming in Michigan. The Wings will then venture into untapped markets like poker players.
Gaming Operators Are Partnering With Sports Leagues and Franchises
partypoker signed a deal with New Jersey Devils, another NHL team, to be its official gaming partner. Still, it expanded the agreement to the Philadelphia 76ers.
More professional sports leagues and franchises in the country are gaining interest in collaborating with gaming companies. Leading sports leagues like the National Basketball Association (NBA), the NHL, the National Football League (NFL), and Major League Baseball (MLB) have made daily fantasy sports (DFS) agreements with FanDuel and DraftKings.
Other teams that have sponsorship deals include the following;
- Houston Astros with BetMGM
- The Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) with Caesars Entertainment
- Dallas Cowboys with WinStar Casino
Such deals are also common in Europe as statistics from UEFA show that gaming companies sponsor 19 percent of the European sports teams. But, this displeases some organizations as the Spanish football league and La Liga banned the sponsorship agreements in 2021. Surprisingly, the German Bundesliga and English Premier League (EPL) have huge gaming deals.
Gaming's rapid growth in the United States will attract more gaming entities to sign sponsorship deals with sports leagues and franchises that will improve players' allowances thus inspiring them to perform better. Even so, it is uncertain whether federal and state governments will ban such deals in the future.
