BETMGM GETS EARLY START IN NEW YORK WITH KEY TEAM SPONSORSHIPS

Dave Schwab Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Earlier this month, New York became the center of attention in the legal US sports betting industry. The state’s gaming commission had just released the names of nine US-based sportsbook operators chosen to offer legal online betting through mobile betting apps.

As part of a power consortium including FanDuel and DraftKings, BetMGM was chosen as one of the nine. As the third biggest book in the legal US market, the King of Sportsbooks has wasted little time making its presence known in the Empire State.

BetMGM recently announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with Madison Square Sports Corp. and Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. The significance of the mega deal involves the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers.

Through this agreement, BetMGM became a partner with each of these iconic sports franchises as well as with Madison Square Garden itself. All three fall under the ownership umbrella of both parent companies that are part of the deal.

Ron Skotarczak is the Executive VP, Marketing Partnerships for MSG Entertainment. He commented:

“We’re excited to be partnering with BetMGM to bring them an unparalleled platform in sports and entertainment. MSG Sports and MSG Entertainment are made up of world-renowned brands that set industry standards for excellence, exposure and engagement – making us ideal partners to help drive sports betting continued growth.”

From a brand exposure standpoint alone, this partnership gives BetMGM direct access to a huge fan base in New York City and beyond. This also establishes the brand as a major player in the entire New York online sports betting market.

As Chief Revenue Officer for BetMGM, Matt Prevost added:

“New York is a critical state for BetMGM’s continued growth and I can’t think of a better way to begin our relationship with the Empire State.”

This is the first major sports gaming partnership in New York and it will probably remain the biggest. BetMGM will have signage in and around Madison Square Garden.

This signage package will be clearly visible by both Knicks and Ranger fans attending the games. It will also be visible during live television broadcasts covering the action on the court and on the ice.

Part of this deal includes ribbon LED signage through “GardenVision.” This is highly visible throughout the entire venue. BetMGM will even have branding on the basket stanchions for Knicks’ games. Branding will also be included on the MSG Zamboni in between periods of Rangers’ games.

This signage package will also cover the outside of MSG through digital advertising properties. Social media branding partnerships exist with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

BetMGM will also be an integral part of the MSG network. This exposure will include game broadcasts of New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders’ games as two other area NHL teams.

In a fight for market share in the New York online sports betting industry, BetMGM has definitely landed the first big punch over its competition.

Written by Dave Schwab, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can learn more about our author's expertise here.

Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab has been covering the sports betting industry for the past 12 years as the main focus of his specialty marketing company for online content. This endeavor followed a previous career in the field of sales and marketing in the wholesaling sector.Most of his weekly pieces focus on the rapidly expanding legal US sports betting industry. However, he still does extensive work covering betting angles that can provide a competitive edge to avid players. Dave believes that it is always a challenge to take past results and current form to try and correctly determine a future result. Sports brings out the unpredictability in what should be a fairly predictable outcome based on the stats, facts and recent trends in a particular matchup. More from Dave Schwab