On Tuesday afternoon MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the league and MGM Resorts International had signed a multi-year deal to be gaming partners.
“We are pleased to partner with MGM Resorts International, a clear industry leader in the sports gaming area, to work together on bringing innovative experiences to baseball fans and MGM customers,” Manfred said in a release announcing the deal. “Our partnership with MGM will help us navigate this evolving space responsibly, and we look forward to the fan engagement opportunities ahead.”
The data rights will be two-tiered – non-exclusive rights for MGM to MLB's official stats feed, but there will be exclusive access to some advanced stats. https://t.co/5P8Ll09PKQ
— Eric Fisher (@EricFisherSBG) November 27, 2018
MLB deal w MGM covers similar ground as company's other league partnerships. Marketing and data rights, exposure on league media platforms, at jewel events, etc. Deal also has an interesting Japanese component
— Eric Fisher (@EricFisherSBG) November 27, 2018
This is the third deal that MGM Resorts International has made since the Supreme Court allowed sports betting in the spring of this year. They also have deals with the NHL and NBA.
There are expected rule changes, but there haven’t been any details on the specifics of the rule changes.
https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/1067514405653569536
The announcement came as a surprise to some, as the sport of baseball historically has tried to distance itself from sports gambling. Pete Rose has been banned from baseball for his involvement and is not eligible for the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame. Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were even banned from baseball for accepting jobs at Casinos, but have since been reinstated.
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