ESPN and Caesars Entertainment announced Tuesday that they are teaming up to produce sports betting programming to be broadcast on ESPN’s different platforms.
As part of the deal, the two companies will build an ESPN-branded studio at the LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. It is there that “odds-related content” will be filmed, content which will be shown on the ESPN networks, ESPN.com, and the ESPN app. The studio, slated to open next year, will also be the home for some segments to run on the ESPN show, Daily Wager.
“The sports betting landscape has changed, and fans are coming to us for this kind of information more than ever before,” said ESPN’s Vice President of Business Development Mike Morrison in a press release. “We are poised to expand our coverage in a big way and working with a category leader like Caesars Entertainment will help us serve these highly engaged, diverse sports fans with the best and most relevant content possible.”
Caesars will provide gambling data to ESPN in this partnership and ESPN will, in turn, display the Caesars brand when using that data in broadcasts.
Chris Holdren, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Caesars Entertainment chimed in:
We’re really excited about the long-term value this collaboration with ESPN will create and thrilled that, starting immediately, ESPN’s platforms will begin featuring odds information generated by Caesars Entertainment. Millions of sports fans look to ESPN as a sports authority, and Caesars is honored to have been selected for having the best odds to serve those fans. When you combine that level of exposure alongside the unique opportunity to build a studio along the famed Las Vegas Strip, this deal is truly unique.
And look, ESPN’s Executive Vice President of Content Connor Schell also had something to say:
Between an increased interest in sports betting among fans, regularly hosting marquee sporting events – like the upcoming NFL Draft and NBA Summer League as well as premier UFC and Top Rank bouts – and the arrival of the Golden Knights and the Raiders, Las Vegas has become an epicenter of sports culture. Having a great partner in Caesars Entertainment and soon a full studio presence in Las Vegas will help us create content that taps into that culture and grows our offerings to avid bettors and more casual fans.
With the overturn of PASPA by the United States Supreme Court last year, sports betting has taken off around the country and it is quite apparent that no gaming company or sports media outlet wants to be left out. Earlier this month, The Stars Group and FOX Sports announced a partnership of their own, but this one is different than the ESPN/Caesars deal. Stars and FOX will actually be creating an online sports betting product. One part is a real-money product while the other is a free-money betting service in which customers can win cash prizes.