BetMGM, Wheel of Fortune Celebrate Show's 8,000th Episode with 'Nightly Progressive Jackpot'

C Jackson Cowart

Last Updated: May 20, 2024 7:48 PM EDT • 2 min 2 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

Wheel of Fortune will make history this week with its 8,000th episode across 41 seasons. And one of our best sports betting sites is looking to get in on the action.

BetMGM announced that it will sponsor a Nightly Progressive Jackpot during the show's "Big Money Week" - which begins Monday and ends this Friday - that will be added to whatever a contestant wins if they solve the bonus puzzle.

It marks the first time Wheel of Fortune has featured a bonus puzzle following the main puzzle to conclude the show. It's also the first time the legendary game show has ever had a jackpot sponsored by one of the industry's best sports betting apps.

"BetMGM is honored to join Wheel of Fortune during this milestone week and be a part of a game show that has earned a place in American television history," Adam Greenblatt, BetMGM's CEO, said in a statement Friday. "'Big Money Week' is a great collaboration, giving contestants and viewers at home the opportunity to experience the excitement of a progressive jackpot."

The move is the latest by BetMGM to increase its market share and attract new customers with some of the best sportsbook promos in the industry. Earlier this year, the sportsbook announced that its New Jersey sports betting progressive jackpot had reached $4 million - the most ever offered by the betting operator.

BetMGM cashing in on Wheel of Fortune's historic week

In addition to sponsoring the progressive jackpot, BetMGM will be front and center throughout this week's historic episodes for the long-running game show.

The wheel itself will feature two BetMGM "Double Jackpot" wedges that provide contestants with a chance to add double the Nightly Progressive Jackpot to their total if they solve the bonus puzzle. There will be a "jackpot ticker" above the puzzle board tracking how much can be won in the bonus round.

The sportsbook will also have co-branded graphics displayed in the center monitor and in-show displays of the BetMGM logo on the monitor for longtime host Pat Sajak, who is set to retire after the June 7 show.

This is far from the first time that BetMGM and Wheel of Fortune have teamed up for promotional purposes.

In March 2023, BetMGM collaborated with IGT to launch the Wheel of Fortune Online Casino, the first brand-led casino in North America. Last month, BetMGM Casino debuted Wheel of Fortune Triple Extreme Spin, an online slot game available in four U.S. states and Ontario.

Many of our best sportsbooks have also featured Wheel of Fortune-themed slot games on the casino floor for decades, though this marks the most visible betting partnership to permeate the nightly show, which averages more than 25 million viewers each week.

How you can participate in BetMGM promotion with Wheel of Fortune

If you aren't one of the lucky contestants on this week's show - and you'd know by now if you were - you can still cash in on this week's promotional efforts by BetMGM.

In addition to this month's BetMGM bonus code, the sportsbook is also offering a share of the nightly progressive jackpot (or even the double jackpot) for the game show's 9.1 million daily viewers, even if the main contestant doesn't solve the bonus puzzle.

You can register for a chance to win at www.wheeloffortune.com. The promotion only lasts through Friday's episodes.

Written By:
C Jackson Cowart

C Jackson Cowart is a publishing editor and lead writer for Sportsbook Review. An award-winning writer, reporter, and editor with a decade of sports media experience, "C-Jax" has worked with ESPN, Forbes, theScore, and various daily newspapers before joining the Sportsbook Review team. He's a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina, where he served as a beat writer for the Tar Heels' championship run through the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 2017. Jackson has spent the last five years covering sports betting as a predictive analyst, features writer, and industry reporter. Since joining the team in 2023, he's played a key role in Sportsbook Review's coverage of the Super Bowl, March Madness, and NBA playoffs while serving as the lead writer for the growing WNBA and NASCAR betting scenes. Though he's cashed some big bets over the years -- including Lamar Jackson to win MVP (twice) -- he's still haunted by enough second-place bet slips to wallpaper his home office. While Jackson is a committed "process over results" bettor with a keen eye for advanced stats and subtle bias in futures markets, he also embraces sports betting as a vehicle for entertainment and personal investment. He's written about everything from hot dogs to groundhogs and still hasn't forgiven his "inside source" for a sabotaged bet on the Gatorade color in Super Bowl LV.