The New York Jets have signed a sponsorship agreement with an online casino – and critics claim the tie-up has currently begun to market sports betting improperly.
Woody Johnson’s team in current weeks signed a sponsorship contract with 888 Holdings, an Israel-based gambling business that operates both an online casino and a sports betting site, sources told The Post.
On Sunday, the fruits from the deal were already on vivid show outdoors MetLife Stadium, within the form of a number of three-story-high, bright-orange banners emblazoned with “888.com” – the gambling website operated by 888 Holdings.
The gaudy displays have arrived following the NFL this season reversed a longstanding ban on casino marketing, a move that came in response to the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Might that struck down a federal ban on sports betting.
In the same time, NFL guidelines still forbid the advertising of sports-betting websites with exceptions made for fantasy-sports sites at NFL stadiums and on its broadcasts – a restriction intended to curb the spread of sports gambling among fans, particularly younger ones.
“There are a lot of kids who go to games, and this kind of marketing might have a big influence on them,” Keith Whyte, the executive director from the National Council on Problem Gambling, told The Post.
“They will become much more inclined to see gambling as becoming part of the game.”
Sources close towards the Jets claim the advertisements do not violate league policy because they don’t specifically name 888sport, the company’s sports-betting site.
The 888.com website, they note, also has links to poker and casino portals.
Nonetheless, some insiders stated that the “888.com” ads looked dangerously close to flouting the rules.
When one enters the 888.com website, the very first thing they see is an image of a football player being tackled along with a link to bet on games.
“To me, this crosses the line,” stated 1 supply familiar with the sponsorship deal, that is scheduled to be announced later this week.
Officials in the Jets, the NFL and 888.com declined to comment.
America’s sports betting landscape is changing rapidly since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey in its years-long battle against the four significant sports leagues – MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL – each formerly hell-bent on stopping sports gambling from expanding basically beyond Nevada.
This month, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore announced a partnership with the Baltimore Ravens, and WinStar World Casino reduce a cope with the Dallas Cowboys.
The NHL, meanwhile, has gone further, announcing a deal Monday to form a sports betting partnership with MGM Resorts.
Locally, the New Jersey Devils have announced that they’re opening a sports betting lounge at the Prudential Center with gambling website William Hill.
This comes months following the NBA announced a gambling partnership with MGM. The NBA enables teams in states exactly where sports betting is legal to take sports betting advertisements. Presently, that would only include the Philadelphia 76ers.