On Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks agreed with Jackpocket to become the NBA franchise’s official digital lottery partner.
Jackpocket is the United States’ top third-party mobile app that provides state lottery tickets.
The new deal marks the first mobile lottery partnership in Texas. Of course, both the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets play within the Lone Star State.
The announcement noted that the partnership is for multiple years.
Mavericks’ owner and entrepreneur, Mark Cuban, discussed his optimism about this latest venture, saying:
“I’ve been following Jackpocket’s momentum in the mobile gaming space and what they’re doing is not only innovative, but it’s also a natural and fun evolution for lottery play. The way Jackpocket has elevated game experiences is something I’m excited to bring to Mavericks fans in Dallas.”
Jackpocket is giving Dallas fans new activations with sweepstakes every month through its mobile app. By entering the code MAVS, basketball enthusiasts can earn free tickets, VIP experiences, and team merchandise.
Mavs partner with Jackpocket lottery
This partnership works quite well for many reasons. Since Cuban can’t take advantage of gambling partners because of the lack of legal Texas sports betting, the lottery is a good alternative.
According to reports from YouGov, about 30% of Mavericks fans purchased some variety of lottery tickets in the last 30 days. It also mentioned that nearly 12% of these fans play the lottery daily.
While Cuban and residents probably wish they had some other form of online betting, the state lottery is popular.
Jackpocket paid out over 294,000 individual winners in Texas alone, totaling more than $32 million in winnings.
Jackpocket’s CEO, Peter Sullivan, is pleased with the future outlook of the lottery in Texas. Sullivan said:
“This partnership with the Mavericks, a Dallas institution, is a great opportunity to bring this dedicated fanbase a new way to play the lottery. Since 2019, we’ve been proud to offer Texans the ability to play the lottery right from their phone and we’re excited about this growth in the state.”
Outside of all the great prizes that fans can win through the app, those in attendance will see some Jackpocket branding throughout American Airlines Center.
This is now the company’s fourth major league sports deal, but the first within the NBA. It also features partnerships in the NFL, NHL, and some college athletic programs.
Jackpocket is available in 10 additional locations in the US. Its players have won over $100 million in total lottery prizes since launching.
Betting on the NBA
Even though Texas residents can’t wager from the convenience of their phone yet, they can head to nearby states like Louisiana to place a wager on their Mavs.
Dallas is currently 29-23 overall and in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference. It’s certainly in a decent spot when looking at the playoff picture, but the conference is always tough.
The Los Angeles Lakers own the ninth spot right now but are just four games behind the Mavs. At the same time, Dallas is only two games out of the No. 4 seed.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Mavs are listed at +360 to win their division. They currently sit six games behind Memphis, which is available with odds of -550.
The online sportsbook provides plenty of other markets as well. You can take Dallas’ updated season win total; that’s 45.5 at the moment. The over is shown at -135, while the under is +105.
Bettors can also take the team’s futures for how they’ll perform in the postseason. DraftKings gives Dallas the seventh-best odds to win the West, at +1800. It’s offered at +4000 to win the NBA title.
Another option is to look at some player futures. At FanDuel, Dallas’ star in Luka Doncic is on the shortlist of players in contention for this year’s MVP.
He’s listed at +6500 to snag the award, averaging 26 points to go along with almost nine rebounds and nine assists per contest.
