Caesars and Fiesta Bowl launch first-ever sports betting, fantasy gaming deal for college football

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he Fiesta Bowl Organization and Caesars Entertainment have partnered up to create Bowl season’s first-ever exclusive sports betting and fantasy gaming partnership, announced Fiesta Bowl on Monday.

The first-of-its-kind partnership for a college football Bowl game will mark a multi-faceted alliance, focused on fan engagement, the organization’s year-round events and expanding sports gaming and education in Arizona.

“This is a new frontier in the college football space, and the Fiesta Bowl is again out in front with this fan-focused partnership,” said Fiesta Bowl Chief Marketing Officer Jose Moreno. “There was significant interest in the marketplace to partner with the Fiesta Bowl; where Caesars stood out was with its similar community mindset and creativity toward setting a new standard.”

By having secured this multi-year agreement to include Bowl games, year-round events and education, Fiesta Bowl expects to “elevate” its offering for both college football and all sports fans across Arizona.

𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃: The Fiesta Bowl has joined forces with @CaesarsEnt in a first-of-its-kind sports betting and fantasy gaming partnership for a college football Bowl game.

1/2 pic.twitter.com/ii5S7mGNrk

— PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (@Fiesta_Bowl) August 23, 2021

But it also shows the growing acceptance legal sports gambling has earned in the United States, something that was even less contemplated for college sports. “Five years ago this was probably taboo or you didn’t even speak of it,” remarked Moreno, reports USA Today. “But this is the evolution of sports as a whole and we’re excited for it.”

Moreover, following the new legislation permitting legal sports betting in the state, this relationship will expand Caesars’ footprint across the state by bringing its platform to college football fans “while enhancing the education of responsible gaming.”

As part of the agreement, Caesars will host new fan lounges within the stadiums for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl, become title partner of the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl pregame parties, and join in the annual Arizona Bank & Trust Fiesta Bowl Kickoff Luncheon as presenting partner.

“We’re thrilled to work with the Fiesta Bowl Organization on this landmark partnership to bring college football fans closer to the game and build awareness around the importance of responsible gaming practices,” said Dan Shapiro, Chief Development Officer of Caesars Digital.

The company expects to open its sportsbook to fans across the state this fall, including its  Caesars Rewards. Sports betting is set to go live in Arizona on September 9, with fans able to make a bet at Chase Field or by downloading the Caesars Sportsbook app to place bets from anywhere in the state.

The #Dbacks and @CaesarsEnt are teaming up to bring mobile sports betting and a state of the art sportsbook to Downtown Phoenix! pic.twitter.com/xm0Bkq5KMW

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 6, 2021

Caesars has also secured other relationships in the recent past, including the announcement of an expanded partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Caesars Superdome and the National Football League.

But Caesars also expects more college partnerships with gambling companies to be signed in the future. “It’s a logical progression of where we’ve come over the last couple years with sports betting since the federal ban was overturned,” said Dan Shapiro, according to AZCentral.

“Professional sports teams and leagues have really embraced it as a way to engage customers more deeply, and it is a great new revenue stream. Now we are getting to a point where college bowls, college programs, have gotten more comfortable with a partnership with a sports-betting company,” added Shapiro.