A wide-ranging deal

BetMGM has entered a partnership with Carnival Corporation that will see it bring sports betting and iGaming to guests on cruise ships. The online gambling operator announced the new deal on Friday.

an option for guests on over 50 ships

Through this new arrangement, gambling will be an option for guests on over 50 ships that are ported across the US. It covers Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Carnival Cruise Line ships. There will be a phase-by-phase rollout of these BetMGM offerings over the course of a few months.

In addition to having an array of gambling options for US-branded cruise ships in international waters, Carnival Corporation and BetMGM will be working together on various types of promotional and marketing activations.

An opportunity for growth

In the press release announcing the new partnership, BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said: “We’ve found an ideal partner in Carnival Corporation and look forward to providing our sports betting and iGaming products to its millions of passengers.” He went on to say that it is an ideal opportunity to continue expanding the operator’s footprint.

Carnival Corporation SVP of global casino operations Marty Goldman also welcomed the new arrangement, saying: “Our two leading global hospitality organizations will provide a wide array of immersive digital content as a complement to our exceptional shipboard casinos.”

Cruise ships embracing sports betting

Carnival Corporation is one of the biggest leisure travel companies in the world today, owning nine of the most prominent cruise lines. In addition to North America, it also has operations across Asia, Europe, and Australia. Gambling has long been a popular pursuit on cruise ships in international waters, with slot machines and table games featured in the casino rooms on many of the bigger ships.

There has been a limited sports betting presence on Carnival’s ships to date. Last year, Princess Cruises started offering sports betting through the Ocean Sportsbook brand. The plan now is for BetMGM to replace these existing offerings.