Bet365 clinches multi-year deal with Cleveland Guardians
Sportsbook operator builds on Ohio launch by inking agreement with MLB team
Bet365 has agreed a multi-year online sports betting partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) side the Cleveland Guardians.
The partnership includes in-stadia marketing assets which will be deployed during the upcoming Guards Fest fan-appreciation event on January 21, with a bet365 exclusive lounge accessible to fans attending the festival.
It will also see the creation of fan-focused partnership activations deployed throughout the MLB season.
A spokesperson for the bet365 brand lauded the new partnership and its potential for springboarding bet365 to growth in Ohio.
“The Guardians are an elite franchise, with a passionate and loyal fanbase, and we’re excited to create fan-focused activations that give back to the faithful Cleveland baseball fans,” the spokesperson added.
Bet365 was one of a group of operators launching in the Guardians’ home state of Ohio on January 1, with the newly licensed firm utilizing a number of promotional offers as part of attempts to gain market share in the Ohio market.
According to data from geolocation specialists GeoComply, a total of 11.3 million geolocation transactions took place during the first two days of regulated sports betting in Ohio.
This number – extracted from data collected from 00.00 ET on January 1 to 23.59 ET on January 2 – exceeded those of New York, with 9.3 million transactions, and states including Pennsylvania (8.2 million), New Jersey (6.7 million), and Michigan (5.8 million) over the same time period.
There were approximately 234,000 geolocated transactions within the first hour of sports betting launching. Cincinnati proved to be the busiest city with 1.9 million geolocation transactions, ahead of Columbus with just over one million, despite the state capital having the largest population in Ohio.
Of those other major cities in Ohio, Cleveland recorded 772,000 transactions and Toledo recorded 619,000 during the first two days following launch.
Other operators launching in Ohio on day one include FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Barstool Sports, and PointsBet.