Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort has entered into a strategic partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York City FC, the pair pledging to offer fans and customers “money-can’t-buy” experiences.
The agreement will run throughout the 2019 season, with New York City and Mohegan Sun to offer fans special experiences at home games and the chance to attend special club events.
Mohegan Sun, the signature property of tribal operator Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, will become the first-ever presenting partner of the club’s on-field pen pass area, an exclusive section offering fans a VIP pre-game experience.
Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun will also have a presence at two exclusive club events, while all members of the Mohegan Sun Momentum Rewards program will have the opportunity to participate in experiences and New York City ticket offers during the 2019 season.
Other partners involved with the venue’s Momentum Rewards program include Major League Baseball franchise the New York Yankees and National Basketball Association team the Boston Celtics.
“Offering our guests fresh, unique experiences is our goal; the program we have put in place with NYCFC – one of the US’s top sports and entertainment brands – delivers on that promise,” Mohegan Sun’s president and general manager, Ray Pineault, said.
New York City FC’s decision to enter into a gambling partnership comes after MLS commissioner Don Garber recently said the league is ready to embrace sports betting.
Speaking at a Q&A event last week Garber said legalised sports betting will bring fans closer to the MLS, while also enable the league and states to take advantage of taxable revenue.
Garber said, according to ESPN: “If people are going to do it, you might as well manage and organise it. You might as well generate tax revenue for it and find ways that the league could use it as a marketing tool to have people engage more with our players and our clubs.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing for Major League Soccer as it relates to the potential of legalised sports betting is not necessarily revenue-driven. It’s how do we engage more and more fans to participate, to get closer to our teams, to participate more deeply in our games.”
“It’s an evolving process,” he added. “I think we have to see how it plays out state by state, but once the government says it’s okay, we’re certainly not going to do anything other than support it.”
Image: Ray Terrill