The Dallas Cowboys have made NFL history after becoming the first ever franchise to partner with a casino brand.
Yesterday, the Cowboys inked a new sponsorship deal with WinStar World Casino and resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma, located less than 100 miles from Dallas.
Under the Official Casino partner deal, WinStar World will have exclusive access to Dallas Cowboys’ logos and branding.
WinStar World is the largest casino in the US by size and is owned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, a native American holding group.
In this year’s offseason, the NFL relaxed its rules against gambling associations – such as casinos – partnering with clubs and using club trademarks.
The move came after a US Supreme Court judgement in May this year granted new powers to individual states, allowing them to legalise sports betting through the state legislature.
Sports betting is currently illegal in Oklahoma, and is not part of the Cowboys deal, but the Oklahoma state legislature is currently debating a bill that could see the practice legalised.
The NFL now stands upon on a ‘goldmine’ of potential revenue, and looks set to generate huge windfalls from sports betting this season.
Yesterday, a Nielsen survey from the American Gaming Association suggested the NFL could raise $2.3 billion per year in additional revenue from bets placed on games and from gambling sponsorship deals.
Valued at $4.8 billion by Forbes in 2017, the Dallas Cowboys is already the world’s richest sports franchise.