Pittsburgh Steelers Choose BetMGM as First Official Gaming Partner

The NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers have officially joined the sports betting provider/pro-team partnership club with Tuesday's announcement that they have signed an agreement with BetMGM. While BetMGM hasn't even gone live in Pennsylvania with their online sports betting product, the Company obviously realized the incredible opportunity of getting a piece of the Pennsylvania pie and made a bold commitment to the state.

BetMGM so far only has a license to offer online casino and sports betting in the state of Pennsylvania but is expected to launch in the next couple of weeks. Having the Steelers undeniably iconic brand under the BetMGM portfolio has to be seen as a major win for the betting provider prior to getting their platform off the ground in the state.

“Steelers Nation is one of the most passionate fan bases in professional sports and we’re thrilled to bring the excitement of BetMGM to Steelers fans,” BetMGM chief revenue officer Matt Prevost said in a statement. “We’re eager to launch BetMGM’s gaming offering in Pennsylvania and I can’t think of a better way to kick off our entry into the state than through this monumental partnership.”

The Deal

The Steelers/BetMGM deal follows a similar template to other deals of its kind already somewhat common in the sporting space. It allows BetMGM, in a multi-year deal, to have full use of the Steelers logos across marketing, product, social media and digital properties. It essentially means that BetMGM branding will be visible with everything Steelers.

BetMGM immediately becomes the main sponsor of the “Steelers Kickoff” pregame show and will flood the airwaves with commercial spots during Steelers' TV shows such as the “Mike Tomlin Weekly Press Conference”, “Steelers Weekly” and “The Mike Tomlin Show” which both air on Saturdays.

A presence during radio spots on such shows as The Point After, Players Show, Preview Show and In the Locker Room Show with Tunch & Wolf (ESPN Pittsburgh) will also come along with the deal.

BetMGM will become part of the ‘Decade of Black & Gold’ sweepstakes campaign which will award weekly and one grand-prize to lucky Steelers fans.

Ryan Huzjak, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at the Pittsburgh Steelers, said: “We are excited to introduce BetMGM to Steelers Nation. Not only will BetMGM be elevating some of our existing platforms, but they will be introducing new and exciting opportunities to Steelers fans. We are looking forward to kicking off this partnership.”

The Pennsylvania Market

The Pennsylvania market started out strong and has remained there since its inception. Pennsylvania has consistently ranked inside the "Top-3" most bet-friendly states. Last month, the state's sports betting handle reached another record level - its sportsbooks took in $525,802,524.

As the fifth largest state in terms of population, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates of MLB, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBL and

Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL, Pennsylvania's market is huge and its fanbase is as rabid as they come.

Pennsylvania is also home to all of the big names in the sports betting industry. Barstool Sports was a major addition to the Pennsylvania scene recently, and perhaps the most anticipated prior to BetMGM's emergence into the market.

Building the Brand

BetMGM has been one of the more aggressive sports betting brands in terms of getting their name out there. Along with the Steelers, BetMGM has signed on with five other NFL teams to become official sports betting partners. Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and Tennessee Titans are the teams with existing relationships with BetMGM.

BetMGM has also formed official sports betting partnerships with NASCAR, the PGA TOUR, the NBA, MLB, the NHL, and the Detroit Red Wings, the WNBA, and MLS. The company has also aligned with Yahoo Sports in what has been described as a historic partnership deal. MGM will distribute Yahoo Sports content across its properties and platforms, and Yahoo Sports will host multiple player events at MGM Resorts properties.

Growth in the legal sports betting space continues at an incredible pace and BetMGM has been at the forefront every step of the way. Don’t expect the partnership avalanche to subside anytime soon.