In a rare move, an online casino has partnered with a professional sports team.
PlayStar, an iGaming operator that has had a busy year, announced it inked a deal with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils to become the team’s first official online casino partner. The partnership will include a “Golden Goal Sweepstakes” promotion at home games this upcoming season.
Key takeaways
- PlayStar and the New Jersey Devils have signed a partnership agreement.
- Partnerships between online casinos and professional sports teams are relatively rare.
- PlayStar Casino’s main promotion during the Devils’ upcoming season will include the chance to win $10,000 during home games.
Perks will be plentiful with the PlayStar/Devils online casino deal
PlayStar detailed in a news release what its partnership with the Devils will look like. The impact falls into two categories: the Devils’ presence on PlayStar’s NJ online casino, and PlayStar’s presence at Devils home games.
PlayStar will feature Devils branding on its online casino throughout the upcoming season. It will also offer Devils co-branded ice hockey games and customer leaderboards that will give users the chance to win tickets to events at the Devils’ arena, Prudential Center.
On the Devils’ side, the team will feature PlayStar’s “Golden Goal Sweepstakes” at every home game. The promotion will award $10,000 to a PlayStar online casino customer if they score a goal from 11:00 to 10:00 during the second period. Customers must enter the sweepstakes to be eligible for the prize.
Chad Biggs, a Devils vice president who oversees corporate partnerships, said in a PlayStar news release the team is looking forward to partnering with PlayStar for the upcoming season:
“The New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center are thrilled to welcome PlayStar as our first-ever online casino partner and sponsor of the ‘Golden Goal Sweepstakes.’
Together with PlayStar, we look forward to enhancing the fan experience with this in-game promotion and creating unique money-can’t-buy opportunities for fans to enjoy,” said New Jersey Devils Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships Activation Chad Biggs.
PlayStar continues to boost its NJ online casino presence
New Jersey is the only state in which PlayStar operates a US online casino. The operator has run a site in the state since 2022. In that time, it has moved quickly to expand its presence in the Garden State.
Over the past few months, PlayStar committed to multiple deals:
- August 2024: Partners with Relax Gaming to offer new game titles
- August 2024: Adds Play’n Go games to its library
- May 2024: Signs a deal to offer PariPlay online casino titles
- May 2024: Announces partnership with game developer Wazdan
PlayStar’s singular focus on New Jersey made it a good fit for a partnership with a high-profile New Jersey professional sports team, PlayStar CMO Jon Bowden said.
Bowden noted the company had already “made such significant in-roads into the competitive New Jersey market” and that the Devils partnership will “bring even more locally focused benefits to our players.”