MGM Resorts International and the National Basketball Association have announced a new multi-year partnership that will make MGM Resorts the official gaming partner of the NBA and WNBA. The announcement was made by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Jim Murren in New York City.
The NBA/MGM Resorts partnership will open new opportunities for each brand to engage with the other’s products and services. The partnership is the NBA’s first with a sports betting operator in the United States and is the first of its kind between MGM Resorts and a major professional sports league.
As part of the partnership, MGM Resorts will use official NBA and WNBA data and branding, on a non-exclusive basis, across MGM Resorts’ land-based and digital sports betting offerings throughout the United States.
“As the landscape for sports betting in the U.S. continues to evolve at a rapid pace, MGM Resorts is a proven gaming leader for us to work with on this groundbreaking partnership,” says Silver. “Our collaboration will result in the best possible gaming and entertainment experience for consumers through the use of accurate, real-time NBA and WNBA data.”
MGM Resorts and the NBA will also partner to create a series of integrations across NBA platforms, including a special digital content series. Additionally, they will also collaborate to protect the integrity of NBA and WNBA games, including anonymized real-time data sharing.
“There’s a common interest in the entire industry in ensuring there will be an experience of integrity for all sports bettors regardless of what operator they happen to be doing business with,” says Silver.
Murren adds, “My overarching objective is the integrity of the game. I know the value of data. To be able to have the official NBA data for sports bettors around the world is very valuable.”
In addition to data-sharing, the companies will cross-promote their products and services. MGM Resorts will promote the NBA across its sports betting platforms, while the NBA will advertise MGM across its digital assets, including NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA social media platforms.
“The NBA has always been an innovator at the forefront of sports evolution, and MGM Resorts is thrilled to partner with the league to revolutionize sports betting in the United States,” says Murren. “Integrating the NBA’s assets and having official NBA data showcased across the MGM Resorts platforms will provide us with a distinct advantage and instill more confidence in knowing that our data is directly from the NBA.”