NBA Becomes First American Sports League to Get Betting Sponsor
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has become the first US sports league to partner with a betting firm.
Darren Rovell and David Purdum of ESPN reported Tuesday afternoon, commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league struck a deal with MGM that will give the gaming company rights to use league highlights, names, logos and its direct data feed, as well as exclusively market itself as the official gaming partner of the NBA and WNBA. The deal was worth $25 million.
Allowing use of league logos and team names on boards at MGM casinos is a first for a major American sports league. The logos and league highlights will also appear on an MGM sports betting app, which will be available to states that approve online sports betting. As of now, only Nevada offers legal mobile sports betting, but sports betting operators in New Jersey are expected to launch mobile apps at some point in August.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
