In the gaming industry, you have to spend money to make money. Amidst a recent spending spree that’s involved rolling out a new sports betting app and naming rights for an iconic sports venue, a new partnership between Caesars and the Houston Texans adds to the shopping list.
The two parties announced their collaboration Thursday, making Caesars Houston‘s official casino partner. In the near term, that means some prizes for fans. In the future, it could mean a lot more for all Texans, especially in the event that Texas legalizes casinos or sports betting.
Fans can win big with game tickets and trips to Vegas
According to a press release, the multi-year partnership gives Caesars placement in the Texans’ digital and media properties. Fans at NRG Stadium for Texans games will also see physical signage for the entertainment brand.
One of the most notable digital placements will be a new free-to-play game in Houston’s app. It’s essentially a custom version of a “pick’em” game. Prizes for winners will include game tickets and trips to Caesars properties.
Adding onto the travel integration, Texans season ticket holders will be eligible to win trips to Las Vegas. The program will award one such trip at each home game. Additionally, the value of that package will increase with each Houston score.
For those Houston fans who are also members of Caesars Rewards, opportunities to win free suite rentals at NRG Stadium sweeten this deal even further. As there are no Caesars properties in Texas, this deal could make the company visible to Texans on a new level.
“I’m thrilled to launch this multi-year partnership with Caesars Entertainment. It aligns perfectly with our commitment to creating memorable experiences for our fans,” said Texans President Greg Grissom. “We have some great events lined up for this upcoming season that fans will not want to miss, and this partnership with Caesars is just another example of how we continue to look for ways to enhance the experience.”
Right now, this partnership is essentially just an elaborate commercial for Caesars, which has efforted a new betting app nationwide and obtained naming rights to the legendary Superdome in New Orleans. If things work out the right way in the future, though, it could morph into a lot more.
Will the Caesars-Texans partnership lead to legalizing sports betting in Texas?
Despite an attempt at change in the state legislature earlier this year, Texas sports betting remains illegal. Should that ever change in the future, this deal might set the Texans up to take advantage of the situation.
Admittedly, Houston wasn’t part of a coalition of other Texas sports teams pushing for legalization. However, their in-state rival, the Dallas Cowboys, was. Additionally, this new partnership with Caesars could give them a reason to be more active on that front in the future.
Should a future law allow, the Texans could apply for a sports betting license of their own. In other jurisdictions like Arizona, that’s the case. Provided Caesars is still among Houston’s corporate partners at that time, the two parties could amend their contract to give Caesars operational duties on the Texans’ behalf.
Caesars could then, in theory, open a retail sportsbook at NRG Stadium and also launch its sports betting app in Texas. That’s all hypothetical right now, though. For the time being, this sponsorship offers Texans fans trips to places where they can place legal bets.
