Las Vegas Stadium will have an entrance, drop off zone, owners box, and electronic signage branded with the Caesars logo, among other perks.
Caesars Entertainment Corporation signed a 15-year parternship deal with the Las Vegas Stadium which is the first of its kind for a casino entertainment company. Caesars Entertainment signed on to become a “founding partner of Las Vegas Stadium“, according to Raiders President Marc Badain.
The Oakland Raiders, who will move to Las Vegas in 2020 when the stadium is complete, are the third NFL franchise to sign a partnership deal with a casino company. Earlier this month, the Baltimore Ravens signed a deal with the Horseshoe Baltimore Casino, which is owned by Caesars Entertainment.
In August, the Dallas Cowboys signed a similar deal with the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
The Raiders-Caesars deal is different than those partnerships, because Caesars Entertainment involves the Las Vegas Stadium. In a statement to announce the signing, Marc Badain said, “We are honored to align with a company that shares the Raiders’ values of improving the local community and delivering exceptional customer service in creating this transformative project.”
Terms of Raiders-Caesars Deal
The deal does not involve naming rights for Las Vegas Stadium, it would seem. Nevertheless, Caesars will have a physical presence at the stadium when it opens. The Las Vegas Strip casino company, which owns more US gaming properties than any other operator in the country, will have “activation” stations inside the stadium — presumably a form of signup for the Caesars casino club (Total Rewards).
One of the entrances and drop off zones to the stadium will carry the Caesars Entertainment brand. Caesars digital signage will appear throughout the stadium. Media, radio, and print assets will have Caesars’ logo or ads. Also, Raiders players, alumni, and cheerleaders will make appearances at Caesars Entertainment events. Overall, Caesars should have a commanding presence among Vegas-area casino companies.
Holdren: “Deep Partnership”
Chris Holdren, Caesars Entertainment’s Chief Marketing Officer, said of the deal, “Sports have long been a core part of the Caesars experience. With this deep partnership, Caesars will become an essential part of the game time ritual for Raiders fans everywhere. From activations to exclusive experiences, fans of the silver and black will see Caesars as their home on game day.”
The deal includes special perks for Total Rewards members. Caesars will have it owns branded Owners Suite at the 50-yard line of the Las Vegas stadium. Lucky members and high rollers will be offered special place in the owners suite, along with VIP Dinners on the field.
Others might receive access to training facility events, fantasy camp participation, and stadium tours. Caesars Entertainment will give away tickets to home games and other stadium events.
Las Vegas Stadium Naming Rights
No time table has been set by the Raiders, who still play games in Oakland Coliseum, to sell naming rights to the Las Vegas Stadium. Earlier this summer, the NFL approved partnership deals between teams and casino operators. The new rules allow for casino companies that run sportsbooks to buy naming rights to an NFL stadium. The new policy was thought to have the Las Vegas Raiders in mind.
In making their changes to league policies, the NFL ended a decades-long antipathy to sports betting. Of all the league commissioners, Roger Goodell was the last one to approve sports betting in any way. While Goodell agreed to the Raiders move to Las Vegas, the Raiders long ago won the legal right to move whenever they chose to do so, so Goodell’s consent was not seen as his appoval of Las Vegas’s gambling culture.
US Sports Leagues’ Stance on Sports Betting
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed support for federal sports betting regulations, while the NBA signed a data sharing agreement with MGM Resorts soon after PASPA was overturned. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed a willingness to consider changes to baseball’s policies on sports betting. The NHL’s Gary Bettman said he would go along with the other major sports.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber is a longtime advocate of pro-sports betting regulations, while new PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan was supportive of sports betting on golf. Only after the US Supreme Court repealed PASPA did Roger Goodell’s league office craft pro-sports betting policies.
Now that such policies are in place, the NFL appears to be taking the lead on sports betting. Perhaps because the new laws coincided more with the NFL regular season, more sponsorship deals have been signed with NFL teams than any other league. The NFL is the most marketable of all sports in the United States, but sportsbooks naturally would want deals with leagues which are active at the moment.
