Less than a month after joining the fray of sports betting in New York, Bally’s Corporation announced it had agreed to a marketing partnership with the New York Yankees.
The deal's financial terms were not disclosed, but the agreement is for the remainder of this season as Bally’s joins FanDuel as an official sports betting partner of the 27-time World Series champions.
For Bally's, this is the first legal sports betting partnership with a team from the Empire State but the fourth such relationship with a professional sports team. The others are the NHL's Nashville Predators, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, and the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Bally Bet Sportsbook is also an authorized gaming operator of MLB, NHL, NBA, and the WNBA.
There are several areas Bally’s will have access to. Bally Bet will get use of the Yankees’ trademarks and marketing designations as an official sports betting partner. Monkey Knife Fight, which is owned by Bally Corp., will be the official daily fantasy sports partner, while Bally Casino becomes the official iGaming partner and Bally Play will be the official free-to-play gaming partner.
In addition, Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City will be a partner of the team.
Bally’s New York part of aggressive expansion
Bally’s was the last of the nine sports betting companies awarded a license to operate in New York, launching on July 7. The New York Gaming Commission reported that in the three weeks since they have been in operation, they have had gross gaming revenue of $29,961 and a handle of $436,204.
That figure is minuscule compared to the leader in the state — FanDuel — which is based in New York City and had a handle of $224 million and a GGR of $21.5 million during the same three-week period.
Obviously, Bally’s is hoping the deal with the Yankees helps boosts its numbers. Adi Dhandhania, Chief Operating Officer of Bally's Interactive North America (the digital and sports betting division of Bally's Corp.) said in a release this will give the company instant exposure.
"This is a great partnership that will give Bally Bet and our other Bally's Interactive brands terrific visibility in New York," Dhandhania said. "The Yankees' history as a franchise and their popularity as a global brand speaks for itself."
New York represents the sixth state Bally Bet has a mobile betting app for customers in the U.S. — joining Colorado, Arizona, Iowa, Indiana, and Virginia — and they also went live in Ontario, Canada (albeit casino games only) two weeks ago.
The company has also received licenses in Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and New Jersey, but has not announced when they will become operational.
Concern for sports betting in baseball
Major League Baseball has seen its partnership with sports betting companies grow in recent years. Last year, DraftKings and MLB agreed to expand their relationship, adding more promotional rights, exclusive content, and streaming services.
Two weeks ago, BetMGM and MLB expanded their relationship, which began in 2018, as the league gave BetMGM a wider role with MLB Network, MLB.com, and the organization’s apps, plus the sportsbook was also the title sponsor of the All-Star celebrity softball game during All-Star week.
MLB also has partnerships with FanDuel and FOX Bet, and there has also been a proliferation of sponsorship deals with individual clubs.
Currently, there are 18 partnerships with MLB teams, including the New York Mets, Cleveland Guardians, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, and the Yankees. In addition, Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon has an endorsement deal with MaximBet — a first-of-its-kind deal for the league.
That has raised concerns with Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark, who believes the relationship between sportsbooks and baseball teams could be fraught with peril. Speaking to reporters during the All-Star break, Clark cautioned that a sport that has seen two gambling scandals (Chicago White Sox players fixing the 1919 World Series and Pete Rose betting on baseball) could be ripe for a third.
"We’re entering a very delicate and, dare I say, dangerous world here," Clark said. "We hope that it is truly beneficial for our game moving forward and that everyone who is involved benefits from it in one fashion or another."
"But when you have players suggest that no sooner than was PASPA repealed that they started to have book houses following them on social media, that gets you a little twitchy pretty quick."
