LSU Latest School to End Sportsbook Partnership With Caesars

LSU joins Michigan State as universities that have ended sportsbook partnerships

Dave Bonderoff

Last Updated: June 5, 2023 3:41 PM EDT • 3 minute read

It hasn’t been a great seven days for Caesars with regard to exposure on college campuses around the U.S. On Wednesday it was announced that Michigan State University was ending its lucrative partnership with Caesars and on Friday, Louisiana State University followed suit.

There has been no shortage of bad press with regard to the affect that online sports betting sites and its advertising has had on America's youth. Opinion Diagnostics, in conjunction with the NCAA released a report last week supporting the notion of the existence of overwhelming sports betting among under-aged, and of-age students that attend American universities.

The fallout of the report has been swift, and it has been decisive, with Caesars taking the biggest hit. Friday’s announcement leaves just one sportsbook/university partnership in the American market - the University of Denver's deal with SuperBook.

Breaking down the broken down deal

Back in 2021, Louisiana State University signed what, at the time, was a ground-breaking partnership deal with Caesars entertainment. It was seen as a partnership that would likely pave the way for sportsbooks to further infiltrate and gain valuable exposure on some of the most iconic university campuses in the nation.

LSU was the first SEC school to sign on with a sports betting partner in what was described at the time as a seven-figure deal. The termination of that very deal comes with years remaining on the contract.

In exchange for a lucrative cash infusion, Caesars gained the valuable right to advertise their betting site at all of LSU 20-plus home venues on the iconic school's campus.

Signage and advertising on campus was a massive part of the agreement for Caesars. Caesars Sportsbook Skyline Club was also a popular spot at Tigers Stadium and will be renamed going forward.

Targeted emails to students by the sports betting brand will cease to move forward, as will the support of Caesars-sponsored broadcasts of LSU's TV, radio, and social media sports related programming. Caesars branded contests and promotions will end, as will mention of the sportsbook in association with any one of LSU’s teams.

What changed?

The spotlight on problem gambling, the over-prevalence of sportsbook advertising, the American Gaming Association's new responsible gaming initiatives and perhaps the previously mentioned Opinion Diagnostics study on just how sports gambling is affecting college-aged Americans likely played roles in LSU's decision to walk away from their partnership deal with Caesars, a mainstay of Lousiana sports betting.

Lawmakers' along with the American Gaming Association's targeting of such partnership deals between universities and the best betting sites in the nation has been gaining steam. A Louisiana state bill seeking to prohibit Lousiana sports betting apps from partnering with Louisiana schools passed Tuesday, and the AMA in March voted to limit such deals going forward.

The writing seemed to be on the wall when Louisiana Senator Gary Smith, author of that state bill said in a May 16 committee meeting that LSU would be ending their partnership.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has also been active in his pursuit to end such sportsbook/university partnerships. He expressed "grave concerns" in a recent letter to Caesars brass and mentioned the fact that "experts have said that it can be difficult for young people to recognize their inability to gamble responsibly, which could lead to serious mental and financial consequences.

Recent cheating allegations involving college sports teams hasn't helped gain any support for such partnerships either.

LSU follows ...

A host of university/sportsbook partnership deals have been terminated the last few months, leaving only the University of Denver as the only university with a sponsorship deal.

Michigan State ended their Caesars tie-up earlier in the week, the University of Maryland and University of Colorado ended their agreement with PointsBet in the last couple of months.

It is unlikely that we see any new such partnerships form in the near or distant future. Consider sportsbook/university partnerships a failed experiment that has had a definite outcome … one that is jot at all positive for the best betting sites in the nation.

Written by:
Dave Bonderoff

Dave Bonderoff and betting go hand-in-hand. Both are characterized by "odds". Dave fancies himself as one of the most dedicated sports and pop-culture junkies around, to the chagrin of his family and friends. Following sports for 50 years and writing about it for 20, Dave hasn't found a sport yet that can't contribute to 2-3 straight hours of couch time. That search remains ongoing. As a good old Canadian boy, hockey is in Dave’s heart, as is curling sadly. But evolution is a real thing and that’s why football, baseball, and just about every sport on the planet has become a passion. Dave isn’t afraid to kill some time obsessing over politics or the far-too-frequent awards shows the consume the airwaves.