New York Jets Inks Sponsorship Deal with 888 Casino

888, one of the most popular gaming operators on the plane, has recently extended its sponsorship deal with the National Football League’s (NFL) New York Jets. The extended partnership between the two parties will run into the 2019-20 season which is its second season after the initial sponsorship deal was signed back in 2018. This initial sponsorship deal also came at about the same time that the New York Jets signed up MGM as an official gaming partner.

The Terms

Right off the bat, the most notable aspect of the sponsorship deal will be the significant promotion of 888casino NJ’s brand throughout the MetLife Stadium at home games. The deal is mutually beneficial to both companies which means that the online casino brand will also feature widely in other forms of promotional material for the New York Jets.

888casino NJ will display the team’s logo on its online gaming platform and on other forms of marketing material such as social media posts and even television commercials.

Yaniv Sherman, the head of group commercial development at 888casino, is very happy about the extension of the deal between 888casino.com and the New York Jets. He believes that by renewing the sponsorship deal for the second year in a row, they are reaffirming their expansion efforts and reiterating their interest in the online gaming space that exists in the United States’ sporting community.

As much as the extension of the sponsorship deal is a huge leap forward for both parties, 888 has to watch its step with regards to NFL sponsorship rules. While NFL teams have been able to obtain casino sponsors since September 2018, the league’s rules prohibit association between the respective teams and sportsbooks. As such, NFL teams are allowed to only promote casinos and in case there is a hint that a particular team is promoting a sportsbook, that sponsorship deal will be canceled.

More NFL Partnerships to Come

The extended sponsorship deal between the New York Jets and 888 is certainly quite unique. Still, it is just a small part of a wider trend of sponsorships between NFL teams and gambling-related companies. It has been over a year since the United States Supreme Court abolished PASPA and lifted the federal ban on sports betting and in that period, the NFL’s stance when it comes to sports betting has changed significantly.

Having realized the inevitability of sports betting as well as its rapid rise, the NFL opted to instead capitalize on the industry. It has done so by allowing teams to be sponsored by casinos, selling exclusive NFL data to sports betting operators, and offering advertising opportunities. It is estimated that the league could earn as much as $2.3 billion from the sports betting industry when it matures.