NBA inks sports betting deal with MGM
The Las Vegas-based casino operator has become the league’s first ever sports betting partner.
US.- The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced at a New York news conference on Tuesday that it reached a partnership with MGM Resorts International. The deal is the first of its kind for the sports league, which will give permission to MGM to use NBA and WNBA logos and trademarks.
The deal also establishes that the casino company will have access to official NBA data streams in order to be able to create products such as in-game betting. The deal is the first between a sports league and a gambling company in the US after the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting.
Terms of the partnership are yet to be announced, therefore it is still unclear if the two companies will share a cut of the revenue from the bets or if MGM will pay the NBA money for the deal.
The announcement was made by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and MGM Resorts International Chairman & CEO Jim Murren in New York City. “As the landscape for sports betting in the U.S. continues to evolve at a rapid pace, MGM Resorts is a proven gaming leader for us to work with on this groundbreaking partnership,” said Silver. “Our collaboration will result in the best possible gaming and entertainment experience for consumers through the use of accurate, real-time NBA and WNBA data, and our collective efforts to maintain and enhance the integrity of our games.”
Murren said that the NBA has always been an innovator at the forefront of sports evolution. Integrating the NBA’s assets and having official NBA data showcased across the MGM Resorts platforms will provide us with a distinct advantage and instil more confidence in knowing that our data is directly from the NBA,” he added.
