The Washington Nationals have extended their exclusive sports gambling partnership with an operator that is trying to hit a home run in the Maryland-DC area. BetMGM announced yesterday that it had signed an extension to its multi-year exclusive deal with the MLB team to be the only mobile sports gambling app provider at the team’s home stadium, Nationals Park. The arrangement between the two also includes a retail sportsbook at the stadium, which is expected to be opened later this year.
BetMGM Takes Over
The Maryland-DC area has recently been singled out as a high-growth area for gambling, and BetMGM, formed with the help of MGM Resorts International, plans on taking over. The sports gambling operator announced last month that it had become the official partner of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and has brought several high-profile athletes on board to try to drum up more interest. BetMGM announced week ago that Wayne Gretzky is now a brand ambassador, which the sportsbook hopes will attract the hockey crowd. It might not be able to attract Washington Capitals fans, though, since the NHL team’s arena is tied to Caesars and William Hill.
BetMGM’s mobile app is accessible throughout the DC area, so sports gamblers, and even the sports-curious, can see what it’s all about. To place a bet, however, gamblers will have to be within two blocks of Nationals Park. The DC Council can be thanked for this restriction, but it is likely to change in the future as the council’s own sports gambling solution has been performing extremely poorly.
Gamblers to Get MGM Perks
By placing wagers through the BetMGM sportsbook, gamblers will also have access to additional benefits at MGM properties. The sports gambling platform is linked to MGM Resorts’ M life Rewards program, which means that gameplay points won can be exchanged for visits to MGM Resorts properties across the US. Jorge Perez, President & COO, MGM National Harbor, said in a press release, “As a leader in delivering monumental experiences, today is a very exciting day for MGM National Harbor. This becomes the first of many offerings we are developing to seamlessly connect sports and entertainment across the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia), providing fans with unique opportunities to interact with our world-class resort and casino.”
The expansion of the partnership between BetMGM and the Nationals is going to give the sportsbook greater access to the region, as well as exposure that will prepare it for additional operations elsewhere. As sports gambling continues to expand across the US, especially in the online segment, BetMGM is setting itself up to rival both DraftKings and FanDuel in terms of market position. With new partnerships and alliances being formed almost on a weekly basis, BetMGM has already seen the future that sports gambling is going to bring.