BetMGM to become new sponsor of Premier League Darts
BetMGM and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) reached a deal for the operator to replace Cazoo as the new title sponsor of darts’ “biggest roadshow event”.
With a total of £1m (€1.2m/$1.3m) in prize money available, eight players will face off across 17 nights primarily in venues across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Rotterdam, Berlin and Dublin will also host events before the play-offs in London in May.
The partnership between the PDC and BetMGM comes in the wake of the 2024 World Darts Championship. Wednesday’s final became the most-watched non-football event in Sky Sports’ history with 3.75m viewers.
PDC chief executive Matt Porter said: “The Premier League will reach a huge live audience and a massive global television audience across four months, and we’re delighted to welcome BetMGM as our new title sponsor.”
Sam Behar, UK director of BetMGM, added: “We are thrilled to be partnering with such an exciting and entertaining event as Premier League Darts and look forward to an action-packed 2024 for both BetMGM and the PDC.”
BetMGM’s UK expansion
This move into darts by BetMGM is the latest example of the operator looking to expand into the UK market.
In 2023, BetMGM launched into the UK as the beginning of an international expansion strategy. Interestingly, it made its move in partnership with LeoVegas, not troubled giant Entain. This means it is competing against Entain’s UK brands, which include Ladbrokes and Coral.
This is in spite of BetMGM being a 50-50 joint venture in the US, owned by MGM Resorts and Entain.
BetMGM’s UK launch was helped by a deal with English Premier League club Newcastle United, benefitting from an extensive presence within the club’s St James’ Park stadium. BetMGM also recruited Hollywood star Chris Rock to feature in a range of marketing campaigns.
BetMGM: A growing emphasis on sports
As part of its expansion strategy, BetMGM has placed a particular focus on sports, with darts the latest target.
The operator recently announced an extension to its agreement with the NHL to continue as its official sports betting partner.
BetMGM is looking to particularly exert its influence in Las Vegas. Chief executive Adam Greenblatt recently claimed BetMGM will “unlock” Las Vegas in 2024.
The first ever Formula One Grand Prix in the city attracted 300,000 fans in November 2023. BetMGM took three times as many bets as at any other F1 race in its history.
The Super Bowl will also be held in February at the Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders after the NFL franchise relocated in 2020. The MLB’s Oakland Athletics also plan to follow the Raiders in moving to Las Vegas.