The NBA is running a fast-break when it comes to sports betting.
After already naming MGM Resorts International as its official gaming partner this past summer, the NBA officially announced its second gaming partner on Tuesday — international gaming operator, The Stars Group.
According to ESPN, the league has reached a multi-year deal with The Stars Group, which also runs the BetStars online sportsbook in New Jersey.
Under the new partnership, the NBA will promote The Stars Group on its outlets including NBA.com, NBA TV and across the league’s social media. The Stars Group will promote the NBA on its popular poker-gaming website, PokerStars, in addition to its other gaming outlets as well.
“This dynamic partnership will be another way to create authentic fan engagement with league logos and official NBA betting data, while leveraging Stars’ global expertise to further optimize the fan experience,” Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA’s head of fantasy and gaming, said in an official press release, as reported by ESPN.
Between its partnership with MGM and now The Stars Group, the NBA seems to be in great hands when it comes to moving forward with sports betting.
The Stars Group can’t wait to start working with its new partner.
“Our partnership with the NBA, including access to NBA’s real-time data and intellectual property, further enhances consumer confidence in our offering and acts as an official endorsement of our BetStars sportsbook offering here in the States,” The Stars Group senior vice president of strategy and operations for the U.S., Matt Primeaux, told ESPN.
MGM Resorts International has been especially aggressive in partnering with professional sporting leagues, striking deals with the NBA, WNBA, NHL and more recently Major League Baseball. The one outlier? The National Football League, which doesn’t seem to be in a rush to collaborate with a partner to help it navigate the booming sports betting scene just yet.
But that could change … and soon.
