One day after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed legislation establishing a sports betting regimen in the state, the Baltimore Ravens announced it had formed a multi-year partnership with BetMGM USA as its official gaming partner.
Under terms of the partnership, BetMGM will post signage and branding at M&T Bank Stadium and will have a presence on the Ravens’ digital and social media content. BetMGM will also have a private hospitality suite at the stadium, and its sports betting app will offer promotions targeted to Ravens fans.
According to the Baltimore Sun, both the Ravens organization and BetMGM said it was too early to tell whether sports betting would be allowed either in-person or through a mobile app at the stadium, since the state still needs to create a regulatory framework.
BetMGM is currently active in ten states in the United States for some form of regulated real money gaming. In Pennsylvania, it has BetMGM PA Casino, its sportsbook, and the newly launched BetMGM PA Poker online poker site. In Michigan it has the same trio, with BetMGM MI Poker launching in just the last few weeks.
In many others, including Colorado, Indiana and Iowa, it offers just a regulated online sportsbook. But with its single unified app, customers can sign in and place sports bets whenever they are located in state where betting is regulated.
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NFL rules prohibit teams from offering on-site betting, regardless of state gaming laws, but the league does allow marketing arrangements with casinos and sportsbook companies.
“When we began the process of carefully identifying sports betting and digital gaming partners, one of our top priorities was finding unique ways for Ravens fans to further engage with the team,” Kevin Rochlitz, chief sales officer for the Ravens, said for the May 19 announcement of the partnership.
He subsequently told the Baltimore Sun that the deal with BetMGM is the first of three the team has planned with online sports betting platforms, and that the Ravens plan to announce the other two partnerships in the coming weeks.
Rochlitz told the newspaper that there would be differences between the three arrangements, but that all three would be expected to be marketing partners with the team and have exposure at Ravens games.
BetMGM has gaming partnerships with five other NFL teams that play their home games in states with legalized sports betting: the Denver Broncos (Colorado), Detroit Lions (Michigan), New York Jets (New Jersey), Pittsburgh Steelers (Pennsylvania) and Tennessee Titans (Tennessee). Some NFL teams have multiple sportsbook partnerships.
Maryland residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of a referendum to legalize sports betting in November 2020. The referendum authorized the Maryland General Assembly to consider sweeping legislation to create a state sports betting regimen. Hogan signed the bill lawmakers came up with, HB 940, on May 18.
Under HB 940, the state will automatically grant five-year licenses for in-person sports betting at Maryland’s six casinos, including MGM National Harbor, and three major professional sports teams, which includes the Ravens. Horse racing tracks, the state fairgrounds and a riverboat casino on the Potomac River will also receive licenses. The state will also issue 30 sports wagering facility licenses and 60 mobile sports wagering licenses.
“BetMGM’s partnership with the Baltimore Ravens comes at a pivotal time for MGM National Harbor, as we usher in the era of legalized sports betting in Maryland,” said Jorge Perez, MGM National Harbor’s chief operating officer. “We are confident that we will provide Ravens fans throughout the DMV with new and innovative ways to experience football season before, during and after games at our entertainment resort.”
BetMGM is the exclusive sports betting division of MGM, offering sports betting and gaming both online and in MGM casinos. BetMGM offers online gaming through its own brand and its sister brands: Borgata Online, Party Casino and Party Poker.
