Fox Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet & WynnBet named NFL sportsbook partners

Four operators have become approved sportsbook partners of the National Football League (NFL) ahead of the 2021 season.

The NFL announced that Fox Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet and WynnBet are now approved sportsbook operators for the 2021 season, which gets underway on 9 September.

The partnership will allow all four operators to purchase in-game NFLcommercialunits and give them access to the NFL media inventory. The deal includes the operators agreeing to adhere to the American Football league’s integrity commitments and policies, which involves collaborating with the NFL on information sharing, advocacy efforts and supporting its responsible gambling drives.

The operators will license official league data from NFL official data provider, Genius Sports.

NFL Vice President of Business Development Nana-Yaw Asamoah said: "We are pleased to announce this select group as Approved Sportsbook Operators."

"Along with our three Official Sports Betting Partners, this group of operators will help the League to engage fans in responsible and innovative ways this season as the sports betting landscape continues to evolve."

These deals follow the NFL’s first-ever sportsbook partnerships in the US this April, with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel. That gave the three operators exclusive rights to NFL marks within the sports betting category, and the eligibility to leverage their new status to secure premium NFL advertising inventory during games.

The NFL 2021 season is expected to attract a greater number of bettors than the 2020 campaign. Research by the American Gaming Association (AGA) suggested 13% of American adults bet on NFL games last season. Of those 33.2m adults, 6.6m bet at physical sportsbooks, representing a 2% rise on 2019, with 11.3m wagering through legal and illegal online platforms. In terms of Super Bowl LV this past February, $4.3bn was bet according to the AGA, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

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