Caesars Entertainment becomes first ever NFL casino sponsor

US casino and sports betting operator Caesars Entertainment has signed a deal to become the first ever official casino sponsor of the National Football League (NFL).

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by either Caesars or the NFL but reports in the Associated Press claim the partnership will run for a three-year period costing $30m a year.

Under the terms of the deal, Caesars will have the exclusive right to use NFL trademarks in the US and the UK to promote Caesars at key NFL events including the Super Bowl and NFL Draft.

Mark Frissora, president and CEO of Caesars Entertainment, welcomed the signing of the deal, citing the potential opportunities of combining its total rewards loyalty program with the existing NFL fan base, which is an estimated 180 million people.

These sentiments were echoed by Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs at the American Gaming Association (AGA), who called the deal the “perfect example of the value of contractual relationships between leagues and the casino gaming industry”.

Slane added: “The partnerships now in place between gaming companies and each of the four major American sports leagues enrich the fan experience and validate gaming’s role as a form of mainstream entertainment.”

Rival casino operator MGM resorts has already agreed deals with the MLB, NBA and the NHL and inked a sponsorship deal with NFL side the New York Jets in October.

Caesars has confirmed that this deal will focus exclusively on the company’s casino businesses only and “does not include sports betting, daily fantasy or hotels/resorts”.

At present, seven NFL clubs have existing relationships with Caesars Entertainment, including the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and the Philadelphia Eagles.

As with the newly agreed deal, these relationships also do not extend to sports betting.