Betstars to Become Authorized Gaming Operator of NBA

Published on December 11th, 2018 8:34 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


NBA and Betstars form new partnership.  Year is 2018. Earlier today, the NBA and The Stars Group. (parent company of Pokerstars) announced that they had inked a multi-year partnership.

Per the terms of the deal, Betstars, which is The Stars Group's online sports betting offering, will become an authorized gaming operator of the NBA. Betstars will also receive access to official NBA betting data and permission to use the NBA's trademarks.

As part of the deal, the NBA will promote Betstars across their array of different digital assets, including NBA TV and NBA.com. The NBA, on the other hand, will be promoted across The Stars Group network of sites, which includes Pokerstars and Betstars.

In addition, the Stars Group and the NBA will collaborate to ensure responsible gaming and the continued integrity of the NBA's games.

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This partnership would have seemed ludicrous just a couple of years ago, when the NBA had a decidedly anti-gambling commissioner (David Stern) and The Stars Group was seemingly not welcome in the United States.

A number of things have changed over the past few years, however, to make this deal come to fruition:

1) Adam Silver took over as the new commissioner of the NBA, and he quickly realized the positive impact that online gambling can have on the league's revenues.

2) The US Supreme Court overturned a federal law that prevented states from having the ability to determine whether or not they wanted to offer sports betting.

3) Pokerstars changed hands, which allowed the company to wash its hands of the past and finally gain unfettered access to US markets.

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This is a landmark deal for The Stars Group, as it marks their first deal with a major professional sports league.

There will be many more deals similar to this one, as professional sports leagues look to gain their share of the growing online betting pie.

Source: Newswire.ca - NBA Announces The Stars Group as Authorized Gaming Operator of the League

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