The Baltimore Ravens and DraftKings Sportsbook have inked a formal partnership prior to the upcoming launch of Maryland sports betting.
Officials announced the partnership on Wednesday, though financial and other terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
It marks DraftKings’ first partner in the state of Maryland and its fifth active strategic agreement with an NFL team.
So, what does it involve? A few things.
Details on Ravens and DraftKings deal
With the Ravens deal, DraftKings becomes the team’s:
- Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner
- Official Sports Betting and Free-to-Play Partner
So, why DraftKings? For one, the US sports betting juggernaut already has deep ties to the NFL. DraftKings is the Official NFL Sports Betting Partner and the Exclusive Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the league.
As DraftKings Chief Business Officer Ezra Kucharz stated:
“With the start of the 2021 NFL season upon us, our latest designation with the Baltimore Ravens further exemplifies our commitment to fan engagement by way of the DraftKings experience. The newly penned relationship offers something for every kind of sports fan and will allow them to engage with DraftKings’ digital content, free-to-play product, daily fantasy sports and, perhaps soon, sports betting, to ultimately bring them closer to the action alongside one of the top teams from the AFC North.”
Ah yes, sports betting. With the Free State moving increasingly closer to legal and regulated sports betting, the industry’s players are lining up to claim their piece of the pie.
MD sports betting and the Ravens
Maryland voters formally approved sports betting in 2020. However, MD Gov. Larry Hogan recently urged regulators to pick up the pace as they still put together draft regulations.
As it stands, MD sportsbooks likely won’t be accepting wagers in the team for NFL Week 1. That’s unfortunate since it’s one of the busiest and most lucrative periods for sports betting operators.
Still, with the Ravens, DraftKings will be able to ready the market for its arrival. The Ravens and DraftKings deal calls for the sportsbook to be:
- Branded throughout M&T Bank Stadium
- A content partner of “The Lounge,” the Ravens’ weekly podcast
- Title sponsor of Baltimore WBAL-1090 News Radio’s Gameday Insider pregame show
- Presenting sponsor of the Ravens Wired video online content series
- Homepage takeovers on BaltimoreRavens.com
- Exclusive gameday experiences, autographed merchandise, and other special events for customers
So, what’s in it for the Ravens?
For the Ravens, it’s all about engagement
Like many professional sports teams, the Ravens see safe and legal sports betting as a key way to engage fans.
Marylanders already have nearby betting options. Many of its neighbors – Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Washington, DC – have all already launched sports-betting markets, with some outstanding results.
But once sports betting is available statewide with Maryland sports betting apps and retail sportsbooks, that interest should really boom.
As Ravens Chief Sales Officer Kevin Rochlitz stated:
“This partnership reflects our continued commitment to delivering unique engagement experiences for our fans. We’re proud to collaborate with an industry leader in DraftKings, and we look forward to seeing the innovative ways in which we’ll better connect with the Ravens fans across our many platforms.”