Philadelphia, January 15, 2020 – The National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced a landmark partnership with Roar Digital – a joint venture between global gaming industry leaders MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings – making Roar’s sports betting brand, BetMGM, the official and exclusive gaming partner of the NLL. It is the first-ever gaming partnership for the sport of lacrosse in the United States.
“We are so proud to welcome BetMGM as yet another world-class brand to our family of national partners,” said NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “The growth of our league as a sports and entertainment property and the amount of engagement we will be able to generate through this innovative partnership with MGM Resorts and Roar Digital will be very exciting and add tremendous value to avid, casual and new fans. The like-minded vision both our organizations share will continue to increase the relevance of the NLL and draw a wider audience of fans as we continue the momentum we enjoyed over the last four seasons.”
“Lacrosse is a fast-paced, high-scoring, growing sport that presents exciting sports betting opportunities. We are greatly impressed by the management and operations of the NLL as evidenced by its strong roster of team owners,” said Scott Butera, President of Interactive Gaming for MGM Resorts. “The NLL is an ideal partner for BetMGM in accessing a fast-growing Lacrosse fan base.”
BetMGM will have commercial visibility and other promotional opportunities throughout the NLL regular season and playoffs. In addition, they will create weekly betting lines distributed across all NLL platforms and channels.
Accessible via desktop and mobile, BetMGM features GVC’s state-of-the-art betting engine and technology platform. Not only can users play the traditional casino and poker games they’ve come to love, but sports fans can place an expanded range of pre-match and in-play bets with more than 100 leagues, as well as individual sports, tours and events.
The NLL is the premier professional lacrosse league, ranking third in average attendance for pro indoor sports, with 13 teams in key markets across North America. The NLL experienced substantial growth last season with nearly a million total ticket sales, a 28 percent increase from 2017-18. Digital viewership also rose significantly through B/R Live the NLL’s streaming rights partner, showing substantial increases in total unit sales (+151 percent from last year), average unique viewers (+27 percent), and average minute audiences (+14 percent). Sponsorship revenues are projected at a 29 percent increase from 2018 into 2019.
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About the National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is the premier professional lacrosse league. Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 13 franchises across the United States and Canada: Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, New England Black Wolves, New York Riptide, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, and Vancouver Warriors. For more information, visit NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Roar Digital
Roar Digital LLC is the U.S. sports betting and online gaming venture, owned by MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and GVC Holdings Plc (LSE: GVC). Based in New Jersey, the venture was established in July 2018 to create a world-class sports betting and online gaming platform in the United States, in order to take advantage of the new opportunities created by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the U.S. federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). Utilising GVC’s U.S.-licensed, state-of-the-art proprietary technology platform, Roar Digital offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM and partypoker. The venture has exclusive access to MGM’s U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses.
About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 29 unique hotel and destination gaming offerings including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. Expanding throughout the U.S. and around the world, the company recently acquired the operations of Empire City Casino in New York and Hard Rock Rocksino in Ohio, which was rebranded as MGM Northfield Park. In 2018, MGM Resorts opened MGM Springfield in Massachusetts, MGM COTAI in Macau, and the first Bellagio-branded hotel in Shanghai. The over 80,000 global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies®. For more information visit us at www.mgmresorts.com.
About GVC Holdings PLC:
GVC Holdings PLC is one of the world’s largest sports-betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports Brands include bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds and Sportingbet; Games Brands include CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digitale, partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all of its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis. The Group has also entered into a joint-venture with MGM Resorts to capitalise on the sports-betting and gaming opportunity in the U.S. The Group, incorporated in the Isle of Man, is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index and has licences in more than 20 countries, across five continents. For more information see the Group’s website: www.gvc-plc.com
