The Toronto Blue Jays and theScore Bet on Thursday announced a 10-year partnership making theScore Bet the official gaming partner of the Blue Jays.
The deal grants theScore Bet, a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming, exclusive national marketing rights that extend across all gaming categories, including sports betting, casino, online casino and fantasy sports.
The Blue Jays and theScore Bet said they plan to create a branded, premium, 365-days-a-year, flagship sports bar and restaurant at Rogers Centre that will serve as an entertainment hub and destination for fans.
The partnership also delivers new and exclusive in-stadium and digital offerings to Blue Jays fans and theScore Bet users through various sponsorship elements, including two immersive premium seating sections on the baselines, extensive in-stadium branding, in-game features, a host of team-related experiences, and designates theScore Bet as the presenting partner of the Jays Care 50/50 program.
The two parties described the deal as the first of its kind in Canada, and one that brings together two Canadian organizations looking to offer fans new ways to experience the game, both at the ballpark and online.
The deal represents the Blue Jays’ first gaming partner and theScore Bet’s first professional team sponsorship.
The team and the operator said in a statement teaming up is a “natural collaboration” for the two Toronto-based organizations with the province of Ontario recently opening its market for sports betting and iGaming to regulated private operators on April 4.
“The fan experience is evolving and this monumental partnership with theScore Bet offers compelling new ways for sports enthusiasts to be a part of the game,” Mark Shapiro, President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, said in a statement. “We are excited to be partnering with a Canadian company that operates at the highest level of the industry and understands our role in Toronto and Canada, to bring baseball to more fans nationwide.”
John Levy, CEO of theScore Bet, added: “theScore Bet is proudly Canadian and we are thrilled to make Canada’s baseball team our long-term partner. This is a foundational partnership with a team and organization that is deeply embedded in our country’s sports culture. Teaming with the Blue Jays opens up exciting new exclusive marketing opportunities and brings theScore Bet even closer to a huge audience of passionate and engaged fans, both on-site at Rogers Centre and online across our platforms. With our combined loyal audiences and brand affinity in Ontario, we believe this deal will establish a new standard for team and gaming operator relationships as we pioneer innovative ways to experience and interact with the game.”
Levy said he expects the deal to be “a mutually rewarding and successful partnership for many years to come.”
