The Red Sox have announced a multiyear agreement with MGM Resorts International — which has a recently opened casino in Springfield — that will place the company’s logo around Fenway Park — visible to millions of fans as the state gears up for online sports betting.

The ballclub’s five-year deal with Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, expired at the end of 2018. MGM Resorts is now the “official and exclusive resort casino of the Boston Red Sox.”

Signs of the new deal will be impossible to miss for Red Sox fans this season, with the global entertainment, gaming and hotel company’s roaring lion’s head logo appearing on Fenway Park’s Green Monster. Other signs, including behind home plate, will be prominent and the MGM Resorts’ brand will be featured, according to a press release, on “Red Sox radio and other team controlled media outlets,” which likely means the NESN TV network.

There will be “VIP gameday hospitality” at Fenway Park. The club’s annual Winter Weekend will head west to Springfield, to be held in January at the MGM Springfield casino.

In a press release, Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said, “This is such a natural partnership for our two brands. MGM has set the standard in the hospitality and entertainment industry and their recent expansion into the Commonwealth makes them a clear partner. We are thrilled to welcome them to the Red Sox family and look forward to a long collaboration.”

MGM Resorts chairman Jim Murren said, “We are excited to enter into this historic partnership with the Boston Red Sox. Combining the two iconic brands of the Red Sox and MGM Resorts will create a new one-of-a-kind fan experience for baseball fans unique to not only New England and MGM Springfield but the rest of the country.

Encore Boston Harbor, a Wynn Resorts company that is building a $2.6 billion casino just a few miles away in Everett, declined to comment on whether it bid for the deal. A Red Sox spokeswoman also declined to comment.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said, “I’m very happy that these talks have now come to fruition. It’s fantastic that these two world class organizations come together as one in our Springfield. Exciting times in our Springfield and another ‘Springfield First.’ And yes, of course I’m glad they chose Springfield … it’s all about positive relationships.”

Casino analysts say the MGM-Red Sox deal is a missed opportunity for Encore.

David G. Schwartz of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said, “There seems to be a trend for casinos and professional sports organizations to be affiliated. It suggests that there’s revenue potential there.”

Clyde Barrow of the University of Texas said, “The biggest factor is that MGM is open and Encore isn’t. The second is that MGM has casinos across the U.S. and from the Sox’s perspective, that means bigger bucks. MGM is well positioned for sports betting and will have a lead over Encore when they do open.”

ams are “reconciling” that sports gambling is becoming legalized across several states.

“Anybody who can will want to partner with the Red Sox, they’re a premium name,” Gronchowski said. “Forging partnerships and allowing casinos to use their names means that they’ll get a share of the revenue. Virtually every professional sports organization will have sports betting.

“When deciding, that’s something the sports teams look at and they don’t want to be closely identified to an organization that has a cloud over them, like Wynn. But the first thing they’ll look at is revenue potential.”

Paul DeBole, a casino expert and Lasell College professor, said Encore will have more opportunities in the future to partner with other sports teams.

“They might not feel there’s a need to partner with the Sox, but the door is open for them to do similar things. It’s a good synergy for the industry especially once sports gambling becomes legalized in Massachusetts,” said DeBole.

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