- The Baltimore Ravens have signed a promotional deal with Esports Entertainment Group.
- The deal names ESports Entertainment Group as the Ravens ‘official esports tournament provider’.
- ESports Entertainment Group is also a sports betting operator and has just applied for New Jersey licensing.
The Baltimore Ravens have signed a promotional deal with an interesting company. Esports Entertainment Group (NASDAQ: GMBL) has a multi-year agreement to be the NFL team’s official ‘esports tournament provider’. Here’s some more details from the press release announcing the deal:
Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMBL) (NASDAQ: GMBLW) (or the “Company”) signed a multi-year partnership with the Baltimore Ravens to be the NFL franchise’s esports tournament provider. As part of the multi-year agreement, the Company will operate bi-annual esports tournaments for the Ravens utilizing its Esports Gaming League (“EGL”) platform.
As a proud partner of the Ravens, Esports Entertainment Group will leverage player imagery within the Ravens local market. Esports Entertainment Group will also work with Ravens players to create custom videos that will promote the tournaments and be featured in the Ravens extensive ongoing digital marketing efforts spanning social, email, mobile, and online channels.
The deal is currently for esports only but lest we forget Maryland is currently trying to set up their regulatory framework for sports betting. Since ESports Entertainment is also a sports betting and casino gaming operator it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see a pivot into an ‘official sports betting partnership’ role in the future.
Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group, is clearly pleased to be working with a marquee pro sports team like the Baltimore Ravens:
“Our esports tournament platform continues to gain strong traction among top-tier professional sports franchises. We are delighted to add the Ravens as our latest partner. Our robust tournament platform will help the Ravens strengthen connections with their fans, while providing new avenues for engagement.”
Magnus Leppäniemi, EVP Esports at Esports Entertainment Group, added these comments:
“Working with the Ravens and other top teams in the NFL, NHL, and more provide a strong validation of the quality of our robust platform and its ability to meet the demanding needs of large-scale deployments.”
Kevin Rochlitz, Chief Sales Officer, Baltimore Ravens, cited the growing popularity of esports and the importance of–you guessed it–‘fan engagement’:
“The growing popularity of esports provides a great opportunity for our team to create deeper connections and engagement with our fans. We look forward to a long and mutually rewarding relationship.”
Esports Entertainment could become the first ‘esports-vertical focused sportsbook with a state license in the US’. They’ve recently submitted their licensing application in New Jersey and from there you can expect to see them in other states with Colorado a very likely destination. They are already licensed as a gaming operator in 150 jurisdictions globally but clearly the US market is the big prize. They’re an interesting company with a unique–and potentially very lucrative–niche. Look for more from Esports Entertainment coming up!
At the time of publication, Ross Everett has a long position in GMBL.
