MGM Resorts International partner with NFLPA to promote casinos

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) has announced a multi-year agreement with MGM Resorts International which will see the global brand become a hospitality and strategic partner of the association. The agreement will see the two parties namely collaborate on ‘new content and fan experiences’ with current and retired NFL players who are members of the NFLPA.

What does the partnership mean?

Additionally, the partnership will provide hospitality benefits to NFL players with MGM Resorts, there’ll be a number of activations held at MGM Resorts that are ‘NFL player-related events’. The partnership allows active NFL players and NFL alumni to enter into individual ambassador agreements to promote MGM Resorts through appearances, social media posts, signed merchandise and other advertisements.

The NFLPA and MGM Resorts have revealed they will work in harmony to create fan engagement opportunities with NFL players past and present throughout the NFL season at Mandalay Bay’s Fan District in Las Vegas. There will also be additional events centered around the highlights of the American football calendar, such as the NFL Pro Bowl matches, the Super Bowl and the 2024 Draft which will take place in Detroit.

“NFL players, past and present, will be at the heart of unforgettable new experiences through MGM Resorts International’s rewards program. We are excited about collaborating on world-class fan events designed to produce incredible benefits for MGM Rewards members and value for our players” said Gina Scott, Vice President of Partner Services at the NFLPA.

Gina Scott, Vice President of Partner Services at the NFLPA added: “NFL players, past and present, will be at the heart of unforgettable new experiences through MGM Resorts International’s rewards program. We are excited about collaborating on world-class fan events designed to produce incredible benefits for MGM Rewards members and value for our players.”

Does it include BetMGM?

The partnership bears no mention of the MGM Group’s flagship operator brand BetMGM, as the deal will not include rights to promote BetMGM, although one would argue there is clearly some brand recognition perks from the MGM retail estate to the sportsbook.

The NFL has opened up significantly to betting brands, with seven operators being approved in 2021 to purchase NFL in-game commercial units and other select NFL media inventory. The seven that were approved were:

• Caesar’s Entertainment
• DraftKings
• FanDuel
• FOX Bet
• BetMGM
• PointsBet
• WynnBET

To have such status, all NFL betting operators agreed to license Official League Data from Genius Sports, the Official Data Provider of the NFL.

Other notable deals in the NFL include DraftKings being chosen by Amazon as the exclusive pregame odds provider for Thursday Night Football which is showcased on Amazons streaming platform, Prime Video. As a result of the partnership, DraftKings branding appears across the Thursday Night Football broadcast, with integrations in the live pregame, including odds and additional sports betting insights.

The stream also offers suggestions for same-game parlays that will be available for bettors on the DraftKings app as suggested bets.