Online sports betting operator PointsBet has entered into a partnership with National Basketball Association franchise the Indiana Pacers, as well as confirming the locations for three new off-track betting facilities in Illinois.
Under the multi-year deal with the Pacers, PointsBet will serve as an official sports gaming partner of the team.
PointsBet will benefit from branding placement on out-of-bounds space between the baseline and team bench at the Pacers’ Bankers Life Fieldhouse home arena – the first time a sports betting operator has occupied this space.
The operator will also have signage placed in other areas of the arena, as well as have a presence on the team’s digital platforms. In addition, PointsBet will run a series of special promotions for Pacers fans.
Rick Fuson, the president and chief operating officer of the franchise’s parent company, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said the corporate partnership “represents a real win” for both companies.
“We look forward to welcoming PointsBet as a very visible brand at the Fieldhouse and through our various channels,” Fuson added.
PointsBet already has a strong presence on the NBA circuit, having earlier this year agreed a deal to become an authorised sports betting partner of the NBA, which marked its first official deal with a professional sports league in North America.
PointsBet US chief executive Johnny Aitken added: “We are very excited to boost our presence within the Hoosier State and surrounding areas, as well as to Indiana Pacers fans around the globe via this unique partnership, working collaboratively with a first-class organisation to enhance the NBA fan experience and excitement created within venue or watching at home.”
Meanwhile, PointsBet has revealed the locations of three new off-track betting facilities that will open within the Greater Chicago Area of Illinois.
The sites at Prospect Heights, Oakbrook Terrace and Crestwood were selected for the strategic locations, PointsBet said, with each facility to complement the Hawthorne Race Course and provide punters with several places to register in-person.
Last week, it was announced that consumers in Illinois will once again have to register in-person for online sports betting accounts, after Governor J.B. Pritzker failed to extend an executive order relaxing the requirement.
This could benefit PointsBet, which will operate retail facilities in the Chicago metropolitan area, home to around 75% of Illinois’ population.
In June, Pritzker signed an Executive Order that relaxed rules requiring players in Illinois to register in-person in order to access online sports betting services. In-person registration had not been possible since the state’s casinos were forced to temporarily close in mid-March due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
However, casinos were permitted to reopen from July 1, in line with a host of measures to help slow the spread of Covid-19, including operating at 50% capacity, and the requirement is now back in place.