History was made Thursday when the Dallas Cowboys became the first NFL franchise to announce partnership with a casino.
The deal with WinStar World Casino and Resort in Oklahoma was announced Thursday. League owners voted recently to allow clubs to strike such deals. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he's "excited about the future of gaming as it relates to the NFL."
When it comes to what a partnership will look like, executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports Howard Stutz says it's most likely about branding.
"What's a bigger way to make a statement when you have the biggest team, the most well known team the league, the Dallas Cowboys, strike a deal with one of the largest Indian casinos in the U.S. in WinStar. That makes it pretty significant," Stutz said.
In May, the United States Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting by striking down a 1992 federal law that effectively banned sports betting in most states.
Jones said the NFL's efforts to sort out the high court's ruling could be "months, years in the making." He said he was excited to be "standing here that we don't have to wait years in the making."
Earlier this week, the American Gaming Association released a Neilson Sports study saying the NFL could increase its annual revenue by more than two billion dollars thanks to the legalization of gaming.
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According to Stutz, they just have to figure out how to monetize it.
WinStar is near the Texas-Oklahoma state line about 70 miles north of Cowboys headquarters in Frisco, a suburb north of Dallas.
