Caesars in sports betting deal with horse racing's NYRA

Ceasars Sportsbook, an arm of US gambling giant Caesars Entertainment, has entered into a sports betting partnership with the New York Racing Association (NYRA), the operator of three major horse racing venues in that state.

Caesars, for the length of the deal, will serve as an official sports betting partner of the association, as well as the title partner of the NYRA Turf Triple Series.

In addition, the sportsbook will collaborate with the NYRA Bets division, to offer promotions across the state, and on-site at the Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course venues, as well as access to VIP hospitality seats for Caesars' customers.

Beginning in the next few months, the Caesars Triple Turf will comprise the Caesars Belmont Derby, the Caesars Saratoga Derby, and the Caesars Jockey Club Derby - each with a prize purse of $1 million.

Beyond its title sponsorship of that series, the brand will be on-site at both Belmont and Saratoga, offering racing fans “a variety of marketing activations and promotions.”

Sports betting only launched in New York state on January 8, with Caesars one of four sportsbooks to strike a licensing deal on the day mobile sports wagering went live.

DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive were the other gaming operators to strike initial deals.

Tony Allevato, chief revenue officer at NYRA and president of NYRA Bets, said: “Caesars has been a household name in the gaming and entertainment industry for decades … NYRA jumped at this opportunity, and we look forward to deepening this partnership in the future.”

Eric Hession, co-president of Caesars Digital, added: “This new marketing partnership with NYRA will amplify the Caesars Sportsbook brand to NYRA Bets customers and at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course … We couldn’t be more excited for this partnership to reach horse racing fans and look forward to our involvement with NYRA’s premier thoroughbred racing.”

Earlier this month, US national television network Fox secured exclusive domestic broadcast rights to the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of US horse racing’s Triple Crown, through an eight-year deal with the NYRA running through 2030.

That arrangement also gives NYRA Bets (in which Fox holds a minority stake) title sponsorship rights to the Belmont Stakes.

The initial collaboration between NYRA and Fox, first covering racing at Saratoga, began in 2016 and coincided with the national launch of NYRA Bets.

In 2019, Fox became the national TV home for Belmont Park racing, airing live coverage of every meeting from the spring, summer, and fall racing seasons - except for the Belmont Stakes itself.

MSG Networks, the New York-focused television network owned by entertainment and sports venue Madison Square Gardens, has been NYRA’s long-time regional home.