Casino operator Bally’s has become the exclusive sports betting sponsor of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. The deal is for 15 years and gives Bally’s market access to offer sports betting in Arizona, marking the first gaming access deal signed by a professional women’s sports team in the U.S.
Bally’s plans to launch a mobile and online sports betting platform in Arizona; it also plans to open a retail sportsbook in the vicinity of Phoenix Suns Arena—which is home to the Mercury and the NBA’s Suns. A FanDuel sportsbook is already being built inside that arena as part of a Suns’ partnership that was announced in April.
Arizona is the 15th state to grant market access to Bally’s, which spent the past year acquiring assets such as daily fantasy site Monkey Knife Fight , betting software provider Bet.Works, and free-to-play game provider SportCaller . The WNBA’s authorized gaming operators include FanDuel, BetMGM, and PointsBet .
