Caesars Entertainment scores first NFL casino sponsorship deal

The National Football League (NFL) has announced the signing of a multi-year sponsorship deal with Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR), making the Las Vegas-based gaming giant the first ever Official Casino Sponsor of the professional American football league.

Focus on fan experiences:

The 2019 NFL playoffs will kick off the multi-year sponsorship agreement, which will focus on providing fans of the league with unique experiences by making use of its casino properties, premier music artists, celebrity chefs, along with a broad range of entertainment elements, according to the NFL.com news release.

Key events included:

Under the terms of the agreement, exclusive rights will allow Caesars to use NFL trademarks in both the United States and the United Kingdom to promote the corporation’s casino properties and to activate at important NFL events including the NFL Draft and the Super Bowl.

Commenting on the recent deal, Senior Vice President for NFL partnerships, Sponsorship and Consumer Products, Renie Anderson, said…

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with one of the world’s largest gaming and entertainment companies.

“Combining the NFL with Caesars’ expertise in world class entertainment will provide our fans unique experiences both here in the United States and abroad.”

Also adding insight to the sponsorship deal, President and Chief Executive Officer for Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Mark Frissora said…

“All of us at Caesars Entertainment are thrilled to be the first-ever casino partner of the NFL, the most prominent sports league in North America.

“Combining the league’s 180 million fans with our 55 million Total Rewards loyalty program members will expose millions of people to the exclusive and exciting year-round opportunities at our properties.”

Frissora departure:

In November, Caesars announced that Frissora would be stepping down from his role at the company on February 8, but has since then reportedly negotiated a delay in the 63-year-olds departure date until at least until April 30, 2019, and possibly a month past that.

Multi-club relationship:

The gaming and hospitality corporation founded in 1937 has relationships with seven NFL Clubs, including the Oakland Raiders (soon to be the Las Vegas Raiders), Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles,  New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and the Baltimore Ravens, with the last five teams all in the playoffs beginning this weekend.

The seven partnerships, as well as the new sponsorship deal, are only for the Casino category and does not include daily fantasy, sports betting or hotels/resorts.

2020 NFL Draft:

Announced by NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, in early December, Las Vegas will play host to the 2020 draft. It’s the first time the city has ever hosted the event and was formally approved during the Winter League Meeting in Arlington, Texas on December 12, 2018.

To be coordinated with the City of Las Vegas, in addition to Caesars, other properties on the iconic Las Vegas Strip will reportedly host elements of the 2020 Draft in a combined effort to aid in the creations of the historic event, according to the news release.

Caesars stadium deal:

In November, Caesars announced that it had inked a landmark 15-Year partnership with Las Vegas Stadium, securing sponsorship rights with the -soon to be- Las Vegas Raiders when the team relocates from Oakland, California in 2020,  after in March 2017, at the annual league meeting in Phoenix, NFL owners approved the Raiders relocation to Las Vegas after 45 seasons in the Bay Area.