A multi-year agreement
Aristocrat Gaming has entered an exclusive slot machine licensing agreement with the NFL. The global slot machine developer announced this multi-year partnership on Wednesday via Twitter:
As part of the deal, Aristocrat has an exclusive global license to create slot machines with an NFL theme. It also now has a non-exclusive license that covers virtual sports games. This is the first time that the NFL has entered into such a deal. The professional football organization hopes that providing new types of gaming experiences will help boost fan engagement.
The current timeline for the rollout of the NFL-themed slot machines is during the 2023 NFL season. Fans will be able to customize their playing experience to reflect their favorite NFL team.
Exciting new entertainment options for fans
Following the announcement of this partnership, NFL vice president of gaming and partnership management Rachel Hoagland spoke about how the world of casino gaming is changing. She referenced the track record of Aristocrat Gaming when it comes to promoting responsible gambling and being innovative in the slot machine space. Hoagland compared modern slot machines to video game consoles and she believes that Aristocrat will be able to deliver an exciting gaming experience to football fans on the casino floor.
reach tens of millions of NFL and Aristocrat fans with exciting new entertainment options”
Aristocrat Americas and EMEA president Hector Fernandez spoke about the worldwide appeal of both NFL games and Aristocrat games. He talked about how this new agreement will help the two parties to “reach tens of millions of NFL and Aristocrat fans with exciting new entertainment options on the casino floor and beyond.”
NFL embracing the gambling sector
The NFL has been embracing the gambling space in recent years, despite historically being against various forms of gambling expansion. In August 2018, it started allowing teams to team up with casino sponsors, expanding this rule to allow sportsbook partners in February 2020. Many NFL teams now have partnerships with casinos, sportsbooks, and daily fantasy sports operators.
The NFL itself has Caesars Entertainment on board as its official casino sponsor and DraftKings, Caesars Entertainment, and FanDuel as official sports betting partners. BetMGM, PointsBet, WynnBET, and FOX Bet are approved NFL sportsbook operators.
The NFL did recently announce the launch of a league-wide public awareness campaign in partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling to promote responsible gambling. In the program’s announcement, the NFL said that responsible gambling programs in the United States are currently “under-resourced.” This will initially be a three-year initiative with the NFL committing a $6.2m budget to the campaign.