BetMGM Renews, Expands Major League Baseball Partnership

Posted on: July 14, 2022, 02:35h. 

Last updated on: July 14, 2022, 03:18h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

MGM Resorts International is renewing and expanding its relationship with Major League Baseball (MLB). That deal started in 2018, when the casino operator was named the league’s first official gaming partner.

MGM MLB
The BetMGM sportsbook at Nats Park in Washington, DC, MGM is expanding its relationship with MLB. (Image: WTOP)

Under the terms of the newly announced agreement, MGM’s BetMGM unit will continue as the official sports wagering partner of MLB, allowing the sportsbook operator to market its brand and offerings across league and team avenues, including “MLB Network, MLB.com, and the portfolio of MLB apps.” Financial terms of the renewed accord weren’t disclosed.

MGM Rewards, MGM Resorts’ loyalty program, will be the Title Sponsor of this year’s All-Star Celebrity Softball Game and Presenting Sponsor of the first-ever All-Star Saturday Extra Innings musical performance at Dodger Stadium,” according to the statement.

The 2022 All-Star Game is scheduled for July 19 in Los Angeles. MGM Rewards has more than 34 million members, making it one of the largest programs of its kind.

Exploring BetMGM/MLB Partnership

As is the case with similar arrangements between gaming companies and professional sports leagues, the deal between BetMGM and MLB expands well beyond basic marketing and advertising.

“The partnership between BetMGM and MLB includes data usage in sports betting, promotion across MLB-owned media platforms, domestic and international activations at MLB events, plus multiple fan experiences,” according to the statement.

Pun intended: MGM has its bases covered with professional baseball. News of the expanded relationship with MLB arrives just two days after the gaming announced a new partnership with MLB Players, Inc. — the business arm of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).

The MLBPA is the players’ union “and serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities involving active Major League Baseball players.”

BetMGM is a 50/50 joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain Plc. It is the top internet casino company and one of the largest online sportsbook operators in the markets in which it does business.

Team-Level Partnerships

Since MGM and MLB initially teamed up in 2018, the relationship expanded to included individual teams.

Those include the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Washington Nationals. Sports wagering currently isn’t legal in California and Texas, nor does MGM operate casino-hotels in those states. However, the deals with the Red Sox, Tigers, the New York teams and the Nationals are practical because the company has gaming venues in those areas.

“As part of the Nationals partnership, BetMGM built the first retail sportsbook connected to an MLB stadium and is the only mobile sports betting app available at Nationals Park,” according to the gaming company.