Betting on baseball has been a touchy subject for more than 100 years, but the narrative has changed in recent months. On Thursday, the Detroit Tigers became the first Major League Baseball team to reach for a partnership with a sports betting operator.
The two sides agreed to a multi-year partnership on Thursday, but the financial terms of the deal were not announced. The move is expected to benefit fans of the Detroit Tigers and MLB fans that are visiting Comerica Park for a game.
PointsBet will now have the rights to use official league logos and data across all of its platforms. They will also receive branding opportunities inside of Comerica Park and on the television and radio broadcast of live Tigers games.
The Detroit Tigers will be able to bring in some additional revenue by earning a cut of all of the bets that are placed on the Tigers or other Major League Baseball games. The Tigers will also be promoted through the PointsBet platform, which could bring a whole new generation of Tigers fans.
PointsBet is an Australian-based company, but they have had plenty of success in the United States over the last two years. The company already has a footprint in the state of Michigan by reaching an agreement with the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
This deal was reached in January, and PointsBet is able to offer retail sports betting at the Northern Waters Casino.
This deal is also significant for Major League Baseball, as they were the last professional sports league in the US without a deal with a sports betting operator. Professional sports leagues have been trying to get involved with the sports betting industry since the US Supreme Court lifted a federal ban on sports betting.
Major League Baseball also made headlines earlier this week when it reached an agreement with Canadian sports betting operator, theScore. TheScore is now the first authorized gaming partner of MLB, but the league is expected to name several other partners over the next few months.
Online Sports Betting Coming to Michigan Soon
The announcement of the partnership between PointsBet and the Detroit Tigers comes just one day after the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) announced that they were beginning to accept license applications for mobile betting and online casino betting.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an expanded gambling bill last January, and both of these aspects were included in the new law. Sports betting launched in the state of Michigan on March 11, but most residents have been waiting for mobile sports betting as well.
The MGCB also announced that they are working on creating new laws and regulations for each industry, with the hopes of launching in October. With the start of the 2020 MLB season getting pushed back, the league is expected to still be playing playoff games in October.
This new deal between PointsBet and the Detroit Tigers won’t allow for a sportsbook to be built inside of Comerica Park, but fans could soon place mobile bets through the PointsBet app.