Multi-year deal
ESPN Bet and the PGA of America have inked a multi-year sports betting partnership that will see the PENN Entertainment-operated sportsbook become an official sponsor of the PGA Championship.
This gives ESPN Bet a marketing platform to raise its brand profile among golf fans attending or watching three US major golfing tournaments. The PGA Championship took to X Tuesday with the announcement featuring a photo of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky:
Valhalla GC will host the first ESPN Bet-sponsored PGA Championship from May 16-19, 2024. Next year, it’s the turn of Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Disney-owned sportsbook will conclude its PGA Championship sponsorship with the 2026 event at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
According to a news release, the deal made the PGA Championship “the first men’s golf major” to partner with an official sports betting sponsor.
PENN, PGA pleased and proud
PENN Interactive’s Vice President of Operations Jason Birney stated in a news release that, because the sponsored PGA Championships take place in ESPN Bet-active states, the tie-up provides the sportsbook “a great opportunity to interact with and engage golf fans.”
Birney added his firm was “pleased” to be the PGA of America’s:
First ever gaming partner.”
“We look forward to accessing highly engaging touchpoints to bring ESPN BET onto the course and into the PGA Championship broadcast on ESPN,” Birney concluded.
PGA of America Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Price said ESPN Bet’s online, broadcast and content reach will “provide spectators with exciting new ways to enjoy and engage with all of the action during the PGA Championship.”
Price added his Texas-based pro golfing association was proud to partner with PENN and “immerse ESPN BET into the spectator experience” for the three majors.
Account-holder perks
For golf fans who like to bet and have an ESPN Bet account, the sportsbook’s sponsorship of the three US majors seems like a match made in heaven.
For 2024, ESPN Bet will host an exclusive members’ lounge adjacent to the green on Valhalla’s 13th hole. Only ESPN Bet account holders can access the lounge that includes views of the 13th complete with a VR simulator of the hole, “special ESPN BET offers for patrons on site” and other perks.
Onsite activations are scheduled for both the lounge and across the Louisville site for the four-day event.