Across the United States, gambling is expanding. From sports betting to online casinos, operators are getting in the mix as states begin to open up their borders to various types of gaming. For many casino and sports betting operators, the trend is to sign a deal with a professional sports team. Becoming a sponsor and official partner helps the betting brands as well as the teams. Just this week, it was announced that the BetRivers brand is now the official casino and sportsbook sponsor of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The deal includes adding a sportsbook lounge to the home of the Penguins, the PPG Paints Arena.

Multi-Year Agreement

The Penguins have signed a multi-year agreement with Rivers, with the announcement of the deal made by the top executives of the NHL team as well as the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh and BetRivers.com. The partnership makes sense as the BetRivers brand is located in the same area as the team and focuses on sports betting as well as casino gaming online.

The Penguins are a popular NHL team, having won the Stanley Cup five times. They have a large fan base and will have plenty of home patrons that want to get in on the betting action. The arena is not open yet due to the pandemic. However, when it does open, it will include a BetRivers lounge that will feature luxury seating along with ways to watch the Penguins and wager on their games.

The new lounge will have the same theming as the Rivers Casino sportsbook. DMAC Architecture of Chicago designed the space, which will include bar seating and club chairs. There are several live-action screens on-site, providing players with plenty of viewing options.

The space is apparently one of several projects that the partnership will see come to fruition. According to David Morehouse, the CEO of the Penguins, the lounge is one of several projects that the deal will include at PPG Paints Arena.

Marketing and Branding

What partnership deal would be complete with a marketing and branding segment? For Rivers Casino and BetRivers, they will get to market their brand at the arena. Branding will be spread throughout the arena with fans able to see the new sponsor via signage.

We should see signage spread throughout the arena as well as on billboards and digital signs in the space. As the official sponsor, BetRivers and Rivers can showcase their logos within the arena which provides plenty of marketing potential during home games.

Gone are the days when sports teams are against sports betting and casino gaming. Years ago, professional sports leagues were quite vocal about how they did not want to see gambling on their sport or a connection in any way. Now, teams are signing deals left and right to get in on the action.

The betting landscape as certainly changed over the past few years, with many states now offering online casino gaming, online sports betting, poker and more. This deal between the Penguins and BetRivers is just one of many to take place recently and will certainly not be the last!

This article is a reprint from USGamblingSites.com.  To view the original story and comment, click here.