The first deal of its kind

888sport, a sports betting brand owned by 888 Holdings, has signed a partnership with the National Football League (NFL), making it the first official sports betting partner of the league in the UK and Ireland.

The operator announced the terms of the new agreement in a press release, which will see 888sport branding appear on the new Sky Sports NFL channel throughout live games. The company will also become the sports betting partner of the Super Bowl and official partner of NFL London Games throughout the 2021-2022 season.

As part of the deal, 888sport also plans to launch a weekly video series called “The Punt,” which will see a panel of experts discuss the talking points of the season. The series will host celebrity guests such as Olympic hockey gold medalist Sam Quek and social influencer Will Brazier.

Other NFL involvement

888 already has an existing partnership with the New York Jets in the US for its online casino brand. This is the first and only partnership between a purely digital company and an NFL team.

888casino branding appears at the team’s MetLife Stadium

Through the deal, 888casino branding appears at the team’s MetLife Stadium. The operator also benefits from promotion on the Jets’ social channels and website, in addition to radio coverage.

With this exposure, 888 is aiming to increase 888casino’s presence in the US, particularly in New Jersey where the Jets play their home games. In August last year, the operator launched a new version of its casino platform in the Garden State with content from Evolution Gaming, NetEnt, and IGT, among others.

888 increases 2020 expectations

Although 888sport has been impacted by the shutdown of sporting events amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this has been offset by 888’s other verticals. As a result, in June, 888 Holdings said it expected to report higher adjusted EBITDA than previously predicted for the full-year 2020.

operator fared better than expected throughout March to June

According to a company trading update, the operator fared better than expected throughout March to June, with average daily revenue for the year to June up 34% year-on-year. This was mainly attributed to the shift toward online casino and considerable growth in online poker. The operator also reported an increase in customer acquisition during the second half of 2019.

888 CEO Itai Pazner commented: “We are pleased with 888’s trading during the year-to-date which has resulted in the board now anticipating that adjusted EBITDA for 2020 will be significantly ahead of its prior expectations. 888 is well positioned to continue to benefit from a potential long-term shift towards online services that we have seen accelerate across several consumer industries during the Covid-19 pandemic.”