William Hill expands US foothold with exclusive Caesars/ESPN deal
US division of London-listed bookmaker nets co-exclusive tie-up with links to ESPN fantasy app and website
William Hill US has signed a co-exclusive multi-year digital media deal via its US sportsbook partner Caesars Entertainment with broadcaster ESPN.
The deal will see ESPN media sites link to Hills’ sports betting app and display odds derived from the operator’s sportsbook.
It is understood that the popular ESPN mobile and fantasy apps will also be integrated with links geo-targeted to legal sports betting states.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hills will also become a sponsor of ESPN’s fantasy products, under its prior exclusivity arrangement with the US casino operator.
Hills CEO Ulrik Bengtsson highlighted the potential synergies of the partnership.
He said: “ESPN is one of the pre-eminent brands in sports. Tens of millions of fans will now have a direct link to our sports betting apps and odds.
“Giving ESPN users this access will accelerate our leadership as we continue to expand in the US,” he added.
https://twitter.com/UlrikBengtsson/status/1305570992694140930
Fellow US operator DraftKings has also signed a co-exclusivity deal with ESPN that will see it become the network’s DFS partner and have its betting odds also integrated into ESPN broadcasts.
Hills became Caesars Entertainment’s exclusive sports betting partner in August and has since opened 12 branded sportsbooks in Nevada, Iowa and New Jersey.
As part of this arrangement, Caesar’s remaining sportsbooks will be rebranded to reflect its new name: Caesars Sports Book by William Hill.
Once the integration is complete, William Hill will operate sportsbooks in more than 170 retail locations spread across 13 states.
The relationship between Caesars and ESPN stretches back to May 2019, when the two firms agreed a media partnership including the provision of sports betting content across all ESPN platforms.
Meanwhile, ESPN has confirmed the launch of a new YouTube channel dedicated to sports betting which includes segments from online show Daily Wager and coverage from the network’s SportsCenter show.
In August, Caesars and ESPN began streaming sports betting content from Caesars’ studio at The LINQ Hotel + Experience in Las Vegas, beginning with Daily Wager.
The broadcaster will also launch a new betting show called Bet across its digital platforms.
It will be co-hosted by Joe Fortenbaugh and Tyler Fulghum and will be shown ahead of ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage.
William Hill’s share price rose almost 8% following the announcement.