Fourth official betting partner
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced that William Hill, one of America’s leading sportsbook operators, has become its fourth official sports betting partner.
As a result of this new partnership, William Hill will gain access to exclusive NBA official betting data. The betting giant will also be able to use the NBA logo on its advertising campaigns, mobile and desktop sportsbooks, and its various social media channels.
William Hill will gain access to exclusive NBA official betting data
William Hill will also be helping the NBA with its integrity monitoring systems to try to prevent any potential match-fixing and suspicious betting.
In return, the William Hill sportsbook will be promoted through the digital assets that are part of the NBA’s profile. This includes the NBA website, official app, and all of the association’s social media channels.
Financial aspects
While no exact figures were revealed in the press release, Bill King of Sports Journal has Tweeted that the deal is reportedly worth seven figures.
This deal makes William Hill the fourth official betting partner of the league. The Stars Group, FanDuel, and MGM Resorts are already on board as official NBA partners.
As part of the NBA’s agreement with MGM Resorts, which is worth up to $25m, the league receives a slice of the profits from NBA sports bets, based on volume. This is a royalty for the company’s use of the NBA’s intellectual property.
Reaction to this partnership
Scott Kaufman-Ross, head of fantasy and gaming for the NBA, spoke about how William Hill is a global brand that has been setting the standard in the legal sports betting space in the United States.
He said the NBA was delighted to partner with William Hill as they expand their US business, adding:
[We] are excited to work together to provide a world-class experience to our fans.”
Dan Shapiro, William Hill’s vice president of strategy and business development in the US, has also spoken about the great benefits that this partnership will bring to its operations.
William Hill hopes this will be a long-standing partnership that will be mutually beneficial for the league and all of its respective franchise teams.
NBA embracing sports betting
Since the ending of the federal ban on sports betting in May 2018, the NBA has been embracing legal sports betting. The league was initially seeking the introduction of integrity fees, but began to focus instead on selling exclusive league data to sportsbooks.
A new set of rules were introduced by the NBA in September, which many people believe relate to gambling.
The rule change was introduced for greater transparency for coaches and fans, but also for bettors. It allows bettors to have more information available before placing bets.
William Hill constantly expanding
William Hill is a major European bookmaker and has been taking the US sports betting market by storm.
It is already one of the largest sports betting operators in the US market, with operations in 10 different states already. According to the William Hill press release, about 25% of all sports bets made in the US go through William Hill sportsbooks.
William Hill also has a partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as a number of professional sports teams in the US.