Over the past few years, we’ve seen bwin.party sponsor international professional sports teams like AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Real Madrid. And now, bwin.party have truly entered new territory after striking sponsorship deals with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. This deal marks the first time that US-based pro sports teams have signed with an online gaming company.
In the past, American sports organizations have tried to distance themselves from anything to do with online gaming – particularly the NFL. But the difference here is that the 76ers and Devils will be promoting Party (Borgata) Poker, not sports betting. So there’s no connection between high stakes gamblers bribing an athlete to throw a game, and playing online poker.
Norbert Teufelberger, the chief executive of bwin.party, is very excited to be aligning with two historic American sports franchises. “They are two of the most iconic names in American hockey and basketball with huge and loyal fan bases throughout New Jersey and the surrounding metropolitan areas,” Teufelberger said. “There is an affinity between playing in online poker tournaments and sports. Winning is about having intense focus, stamina and a great competitive spirit.”
If it seems like Teufelberger is excited, there’s good reason for this. Party Borgata have already done very well in New Jersey, averaging 280 cash game players an hour (according to PokerScout). Given that they’re now aligning with local sports teams, the number of amateurs rushing to Party Borgata only figures to continue increasing.
This is definitely good news for the New Jersey poker market as a whole. Currently, 148,487 people have created accounts with the seven existing New Jersey online poker sites. In terms of money, Wall Street analysts predict that the growing player base is expected to generate between $200 million and $300 million in its first year (dating back to November, 2013). Given that New Jersey imposes a 15% tax rate on poker sites, this would mean $30 million to $45 million in tax revenue for the state.