- Caesars Entertainment is now the ‘exclusive sports betting and fantasy gaming partner’ of the Fiesta Bowl.
- This is the first sports betting and fantasy gaming partnership for a college football bowl game.
- Sports betting goes live in Arizona on September 9, 2021 covering both mobile and retail wagering.
There’s a new front in the ever expanding realm of sports betting partnerships. The Fiesta Bowl and Caesars Entertainment have announced ‘a first-of-its-kind sports betting and fantasy gaming partnership for a college football bowl game’. Caesars becomes the ‘exclusive sports betting and fantasy gaming partner’ of the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona and you can expect every major and minor bowl to have some type of similar deal in place by the end of the college football regular season. The next Rubicon to be crossed will be a sportsbook as the naming sponsor of a bowl game. It wouldn’t surprise me to see that happen this season.
Here’s the official word from the press release announcing the deal. It’s all about ‘fan engagement’, natch, but you knew that already:
The Fiesta Bowl Organization today announced it has joined forces with Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR) (“Caesars”) in a first-of-its-kind sports betting and fantasy gaming partnership for a college football Bowl game. The multi-faceted alliance focuses on fan engagement, the organization’s year-round events and expanding sports gaming and education in Arizona.
We can retire the ‘fan engagement’ nonsense anytime now. Can’t we just say that this is a great promotional opportunity for Caesars? A great sponsor for the Fiesta Bowl? It’s becoming the ‘I read Playboy Magazine for the articles’ of the sports betting industry. I won’t even get started with the ‘education’ part–the charade that no one in a newly regulated state knows anything about sports betting theory and practice isn’t fooling anyone. If they want ‘education’ I’ll come in and lecture on handicapping theory.
Fiesta Bowl Chief Marketing Officer Jose Moreno gave the press release quote for the bowl organizing entity:
“This is a new frontier in the college football space, and the Fiesta Bowl is again out in front with this fan-focused partnership. There was significant interest in the marketplace to partner with the Fiesta Bowl; where Caesars stood out was with its similar community mindset and a creativity toward setting a new standard. We are teaming with an industry leader who is dedicated to working with us to elevate our offerings for college football and all sports fans across Arizona.”
That’s a pretty good quote….Caesars should hire Jose for their PR department. You’re no doubt on the edge of your seat wondering what this all means. Wait no longer….
With the new legislation permitting legal sports betting in Arizona, this multi-year relationship will expand Caesars’s footprint across the state by bringing its state-of-the-art platform to college football fans while enhancing the education of responsible gaming and bringing fans closer to the excitement that college football delivers.
Caesars will host new fan lounges within the stadiums for the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl, become title partner of the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl pregame parties and join in the annual Arizona Bank & Trust Fiesta Bowl Kickoff Luncheon as presenting partner.
Dan Shapiro, Chief Development Officer of Caesars Digital, comes with the ‘fan engagement and responsible gaming education’ narrative:
“We’re thrilled to work with the Fiesta Bowl Organization on this landmark partnership to bring college football fans closer to the game and build awareness around the importance of responsible gaming practices. These fans are unrivaled in their passion, and we look forward to offering Caesars Sportsbook to them this fall. Our offering provides a leading user experience where every wager gives players more through our award-winning Caesars Rewards.”
Credit to Caesars for being the pioneer in sports betting/bowl game partnerships. This is almost too obvious a symbiotic relationship and I’m surprised that no one has done it before now. Maybe I’ll do up some odds on the sportsbook and bowl game to collaborate on the first ‘sports betting name sponsorship’…..
