Official esports tournament platform
The publicly listed online gambling firm Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) has inked an agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, making it the National Football League (NFL) franchise’s official esports tournament platform.
The Malta-headquartered betting giant took to Twitter on Friday to announce the multi-year deal it had inked with the Bucs the day before:
The tweet featured a photograph of the evergreen all-time football great Tom Brady, who led the Bucs to Super Bowl LV glory in February 2021. According to an Esports Entertainment press release, its tournament platform will help the NFL franchise and star players like Brady and teammate Rob Gronkowski “strengthen connections with their fans.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the global betting firm will roll out co-branded esports tournaments yearly for the Bucs via its popular gaming platform. EEG CEO Grant Johnson said the deal would further expand the company’s NFL reach, as its esports tournament platform continues to grow in popularity with “top-tier professional sports franchises.”
Upping the fan engagement ante
Esports Entertainment will now tap into the NFL franchise’s local market through leveraging the imagery of Bucs players such as former New England Patriots duo Brady and Gronkowski. EEG will also work with Tampa Bay to promote the tournaments via a digital marketing strategy across online, mobile, and social media channels.
The Bucs also went on Twitter to announce the deal, which the team sees as an innovative new avenue to boost fan engagement:
The franchise’s chief operating officer, Brian Ford, said esports tournaments offer “an exciting, new way” to engage with fans and “build stronger connections.”
“a fun way to compete in an entertaining and social environment with gamers”
Ford added that the EEG-powered Bucs gaming tournaments will prove popular with fans and provide “a fun way to compete in an entertaining and social environment with gamers.”
EEG attracting big franchises
Last week’s deal with the winners of the 55th Super Bowl adds another high-profile pro sports franchise to EEG’s growing portfolio of brands. Company president Magnus Leppäniemi said the Bucs were the latest major league sport entity to “recognize the quality” of his firm’s esports platform.
On August 27, EEG added the Indianapolis Colts to its NFL roster, which also includes the New England Patriots and the LA Chargers. Outside of pro football, EEG has similar partnerships in place with National Hockey League, National Basketball Association, and Major League Soccer teams such as the New York Rangers, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and New England Revolution.