Bally’s Becomes Official Sports Betting Partner of the NHL

Bally’s Corporation and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today a multi-year deal to make the casino operator an Official Sports Betting Partner of the league.

“We’re thrilled to become the first national sports league partner of Bally’s Corporation.”

Keith Wachtel, CBO and Senior Executive VP, NHL

Under the terms of the agreement, Bally’s gained the right to use official marks and logos of the NHL® for its sports betting product offering, and in exchange will  create engaging content for fans of the professional hockey league.

Significant Milestone

George Papanier, president and chief executive officer of Bally’s, hailed the partnership deal as an important step in the company’s strategy to acquire leadership role in the online sports betting and iGaming industry.

“With access to the NHL’s official logos and brands, together with our first-of-its-kind media partnership with Sinclair, we will continue on our path to transform how fans engage with their favorite hockey teams.”

George Papanier, President and CEO, Bally’s Corporation

By leveraging the partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Bally’s would then integrate the sports content into live coverage from NHL matches and would span it across the network of 19 regional sports channels.

Last month, Sinclair announced its Fox Sports regional sports networks were ready to begin rebranding into Bally Sports and revealed the new logo for the channels.

“With its Sinclair Broadcast Group partnership combined with a strong strategic vision for its portfolio of sports betting products, Bally’s is an ideal partner for the NHL to further engage our avid fan base on a national and local level.”

Keith Wachtel, CBO and Senior Executive VP, NHL

The multi-year agreement Bally’s reached with the NHL represents a significant milestone for the land-based gaming and interactive entertainment provider as it is its first sports betting partnership with a professional sports league.

Grow and Transform

Formerly known as Twin River Worldwide Holdings (TRWH), a relatively small casino operator based in Rhode Island, the Standard hedge fund-led company initially acquired a number of land-based casino properties to expand its footprint across the US, and then entered into a deal with Caesars Entertainment to acquire the Bally’s brand for $20 million and rename.

Then, following the industry example of turning expenditure into revenue set by Boston-based DraftKings which acquired its sports betting technology provider SBTech, Bally’s announced a $125 million deal with Bet.Works to acquire the technology firm, and simultaneously set up an interactive division.

By the end of January, 2021, Bally’s moved into the daily fantasy sport (DFS) space after signing a definitive agreement to acquire the third-largest DFS operator Monkey Knife Fight (MKF), and then went on to complement it with the acquisition of leading free-to-play gaming operator SportCaller.