Boosting fan experiences
The Manning family has entered a partnership with the Caesars Sportsbook to become ambassadors for the operating. The entire Manning football clan – Archie and sons Cooper, Peyton, and Eli – will appear in promotions and ads for the sportsbook. Eli posted a short video on Twitter to announce the new arrangement on Tuesday:
The Manning family will also be taking part in various types of Caesars rewards program member experiences. This loyalty program is a key differentiator for the company when compared to many other online operators. While Caesars has a relationship with ESPN, the broadcast that Peyton and Eli anchor during Monday Night Football will not be a part of this new deal.
A natural fit
Prior to the signing of this partnership, Caesars Entertainment was an existing partner for Archie Manning’s New Orleans sports bar, which is adjacent to the Caesars-owned Harrah’s casino. As such, Caesars Digital co-president Chris Holdren labeled said the team-up was a “natural fit.” He spoke about how the Mannings are an iconic family in the NFL, with a Manning playing as a starting quarterback in more than a third of the 102 total NFL seasons to date. He said: “They are the preeminent family, and we are a family-led company.”
Holdren did not provide any financial terms of the partnership, but he did note that there will be a heavy charity component to this deal. The operator will also seek advice from the family as the sportsbook operation grows. It is unclear if any equity is involved or if it is a strict cash arrangement. In July, PointsBet gave legendary NFL quarterback Drew Brees a stake in the company in exchange for becoming a brand ambassador.
The Mannings are still some of the biggest personalities in the world of football, having prominent roles in major football television shows and ad campaigns. In an email, Eli Manning spoke about the massive growth in sports betting in recent years. He said: “We spent a lot of time talking about this opportunity and really doing our due diligence—on the industry, on Caesars, on our roles—before we made any decision.”
Sports betting expansion in the US
Sports betting is big business in the United States as it spreads rapidly across the country. Operators are looking to build up a strong customer base, with many of them striking relationships with sports teams and personalities where possible. Other former NFL players who have similar partnerships with sportsbook operators include Chris Johnson and Marshawn Lynch with BetMGM, Nick Mangold with WynnBET, and Rich Gannon with Parx Interactive.
country’s largest casino operator also has a major presence in markets where the Mannings played
Caesars is already an official sports betting partner of the NFL and has partnerships with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. The country’s largest casino operator also has a major presence in markets where the Mannings played. Archie is a Mississippi native and Eli played there in college; Caesars has numerous casinos in the state. It also has properties in Indiana where Peyton played for 14 NFL seasons, Colorado where Peyton played for four seasons, and New Jersey where Eli stayed for his entire NFL career.
Caesars looking to maximize market share
The Caesars Sportsbook was officially relaunched on August 2 and is now providing sports betting in 20 jurisdictions, of which 14 have online operations. Caesars Sportsbook also was also revealed on Monday as being one of the nine operators that are recommended for a New York online sports betting license.
William Hill sportsbooks in the US were transitioned to the Caesars Sportsbook brand
Caesars Entertainment was able to boost its presence in the US sports betting market by buying UK-based gambling operator William Hill last year for about $3.7bn. The William Hill sportsbooks in the US were transitioned to the Caesars Sportsbook brand. The expectation is that the Caesars Sportsbook will be profitable by the football season in 2023. Speaking last week in an earnings call, Caesars Entertainment COO Anthony Carano said: “We’re laser-focused on scaling our digital business through aggressive customer acquisition during our first fall sports season.”