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Oklahoma’s WinStar World Casino and the Dallas Cowboys announced a historic partnership deal on Thursday which will be the first of its kind. The financial details are still not known but the Chickasaw Nation Tribe and the storied NFL franchise called the agreement between the two parties a “league-changing partnership”.
The NFL has traditionally gone out of its way to avoid being associated with gambling but things started to change last year when the Oakland Raiders announced that they were moving to Las Vegas. Their new $1.8 billion stadium is currently being built and the 65,000-seat project is expected to be ready for the start of the 2020 NFL season.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting, professional leagues have softened their views on gambling.
The deal between the Cowboys and the WinStar World Casino marks the first time in the history of the NFL that a casino has been officially designated as one of their team’s exclusive partner and allowing them to use team logos and trademarks. A recent amendment was passed by NFL owners to allow casinos to form partnerships with NFL teams.
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The landmark announcement came on the heels of a Nielson Sports study that was commissioned by the American Gaming Association (AGA). The study predicts that legalized sports betting will boost league revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The study projected that the NFL’s annual revenue could increase by up to $2.3 billion.
WinStar World Casino’s Massive Operation
WinStar World Casino is the biggest casino in the entire Western Hemisphere. It has a massive 560,000 square foot casino floor which houses 8,100 slot machines, 99 gaming tables, and a 55-table poker room. It also boasts a hotel with 1,400 rooms as well as all of the other amenities one would expect.
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby said that there hundreds of Chickasaws living in the Dallas area and the Cowboys are vital to the community. The further stated that there are many reasons to be excited about this new partnership apart from the business side. He said that the Chickasaw Tribe has always been closely connected to Dallas and North Texas.
NFL Saw Over $8 Billion In 2017
The NFL season just opened up and it’s the first time that Philly fans can simply cross the Delaware River and legally bet on their team in any of New Jersey’s sportsbooks. The Nielson Study revealed that the NFL raked in $8.16 billion in revenue. Merchandise and ticket sales puts that number over $13.1 billion.
