Panther City Lacrosse Club has announced a partnership with PlayUp, as the latter becomes the National Lacrosse League (NLL) team’s first ever sports gaming partner.
The collaboration also sees the online betting agency become a Panther City founding partner, Fantasy Sport partner, and esports partner, in a deal that has been reported as ‘the largest team sponsorship arrangement in NLL history’.
Panther City President and CEO, Greg Bibb, commented on the new deal: “We are thrilled to welcome PlayUp as a partner of Panther City Lacrosse Club. We look forward to introducing our fans to the PlayUp brand and we are proud to wear the PlayUp name on our game jersey.”
Furthemore, the deal also highlights a ‘market access element’, and if sports betting becomes legalised in Texas, the partnership may lead to market access for PlayUp throughout the US.
However, the market access would be subject to Panther City Lacrosse Club receiving a sports betting licence and pending requisite regulatory approvals.
In a bid to expand its brand awareness, PlayUp will also gain logo placement on the team shirt, branding opportunities on the media banner backdrop, team website and commercial opportunities during locally broadcasted games, VIP hospitality, as well as in stadium branding such as main entrance brand station, on-field logos and board signage.
PlayUp USA Chairman, Dennis Drazin, underlined that the partnership would play a ‘critical role’ in growing the brand in regards to the large population and sports fan base within Texas City.
“Texas is an evolving state in terms of sports betting and should legalisation occur, we want to ensure we are positioned to maximise that opportunity,” Drazin said.
He concluded: “We are excited by this partnership with Panther City as it gives PlayUp a great opportunity to grow our brand and connect directly with fans throughout the state.”
