A second partnership between an NFL team and a casino partnership has been announced: The Horseshoe Casino Baltimore and the Baltimore Ravens have signed a multi-year marketing deal.
Under the new deal, the casino will use logos and trademarks of the Ravens within their venue and the NFL team’s home, M&T Bank Stadium, will feature the casino’s advertising.
The Horseshoe Casino is already a popular spot among Ravens fans because the venue is located just a few blocks from the M&T Stadium. The facility is now the official casino of the team and will highlight consumer promotions as well as rewards for members based on the Ravens’ branding.
Ravens Seeking Other Partnerships
The Ravens will work with the Horseshoe in their home city, and they are also looking into additional sponsorships with other casinos. At the Horseshoe Baltimore, the casino will rebrand its three-level bar to feature the Ravens logo. At the stadium, the casino will sponsor the Legendary Moments and Plays section, shown during games on large video boards.
The team’s senior vice president of corporate sales and business development, Kevin Rochlitz, said: “It’s a great thing for us and a great thing for Horseshoe. The opportunity to merge our brands together allows our fans to do certain things inside Horseshoe Casino, and we’re going to be working on some consumer promotions that they’re going to announce to reward members. It also allows a great opportunity for our fans to come in here to the casino and win certain prizes.”
Financial terms of the partnership agreement are confidential. The deal right now revolves around marketing only. The state of Maryland has yet to pass sports betting legislation, which is supported by casinos in the state. Since May, when the United States Supreme Court struck down a federal law that banned sports betting, states across the nation have been discussing whether or not to legalize the industry.
Maryland may still be a long way off from passing such legislation; the General Assembly recently decided not to allow a measure to be placed on the ballot this November to let voters decide on sports betting. It may be 2020 or beyond before the state has legalized betting on sports events.
Casino Sponsorship Deals
With sports betting already underway in several states, casino sponsorship deals like the one between the Ravens and the Horseshoe Baltimore should become more commonplace. The first partnership deal between a professional sports team and a casino was struck in early September when the Dallas Cowboys announced they had teamed up with the WinStar World Casino and Resort of Oklahoma. This deal was the first of its kind involving an NFL franchise and a casino.
Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones said: “The Dallas Cowboys take great pride in aligning themselves with the best brands in the world. It is a privilege to stand shoulder to shoulder as partners with such a prominent entertainment brand like WinStar World Casino.”
Sports betting is already in full swing in New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi, and West Virginia, and other states are working on legislation this year or for 2019. It would not be surprising to find similar sponsorship deals taking place in the near future as more states begin to get started with sports betting operations.