The NFL’s New York Giants announced Wednesday a multi-year sponsorship deal with gaming powerhouse DraftKings as the team’s official sports betting, iGaming, and daily fantasy partner.
The deal comes one day after division rival Philadelphia signed a deal with FOX Bet. DraftKings Sportsbook has worked with Big Blue in the past and the NFL franchise is among the top 40 teams bet on the site, among the 700-plus offered in play.
Normally seeing green at MetLife Stadium leaves Giants fans seeing red. With the DratfKings Sportsbook virtual lounge set to open, that might change.
The company will also get to brand integration at the stadium, along with the team’s many media partners and platforms. DK also gets to set up shop just across the Meadowlands from top rival FanDuel, whose retail location at the racetrack is tops in the Garden State.
“The New York Giants have continued to be a fantastic organization to work with over the years, and we are excited to expand our relationship as the Giants’ Official Exclusive Sports Betting, iGaming and Daily Fantasy operator,” said Ezra Kucharz, DraftKings’ Chief Business Officer.
“Both organizations remain committed to customer experience through enhanced product offerings and authenticity and look forward to joining forces across platforms as the highly-anticipated NFL season gets underway.”
DraftKings benefited from the return of sports mid-summer and helped New Jersey and Pennsylvania both reach handle records for the month of August. NJ set a new single-month record nationally with over $668 million wagered. Over 90 percent was bet online, showing the market favors online companies. DK finished second in revenue behind FanDuel with $1.3 million earned.
“Our enhanced agreement with DraftKings provides innovative opportunities as we look to deliver a best-in-class fan experience,” said Giants Chief Commercial Officer Pete Guelli.
“DraftKings is the preeminent leader in sports betting and daily fantasy sports and we are excited to be the first NFL team to have an exclusive integrated deal in this category.”
The NFL deals with sports gaming companies continue to not only legitimize the presence of regulated wagering in the market, it also gives these teams who are losing major revenue without fans for game days a boost. An activity like this will likely continue as more states legalize sports wagering and franchises in major sports sign similar partnerships in kind.
