INTERVIEW
The media world was buzzing on January 9, 2014, when the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA (locally
known as the Sixers) and the New Jersey Devils of the NHL became the first major US-based
professional sports teams to sign a sponsorship deal with an online gambling company, PartyPoker. To
learn more about the story behind this ground-breaking deal, and what it means for the future of online
gambling in the United States, iGB Affiliate spoke exclusively to Scott O’Neil, CEO of the Devils and Sixers.
How will the PartyPoker brand be
integrated into the New Jersey Devils and
Philadelphia 76ers teams, and within the
Prudential Center?
There will be marquee signage. In
Philadelphia there will be a big PartyPoker.
com sign in front of both benches; you
can imagine that every time we’re on TV,
the money shot is the one of the bench.
At Prudential Center, the PartyPoker logo
will be on the boards and on the ice, so
at both venues there will be some great
exposure in perfect placement for TV.
There is terrific signage throughout. There
is electronic signage on the LED boards
and there are signs after replays on both
buildings’ scoreboards.
It’s not just about signage. It’s great for
brand recognition and connection. I think
there is something magical about sports
and there’s a huge amount of trust that goes
between sports and the fans. For Sixers and
Devils fans, a brand partnering with their
team is an endorsement of that product.
It’s safe, comfortable and trustworthy. The
signage certainly helps with this.
This deal is much more than brand
recognition. We’re connecting with fans
on the concourse and educating them
about online gaming and the opportunities
that PartyPoker is offering, and we’re also
carrying out full social media integration.
Then, we’re incorporating our legends,
guys like Ken Daneyko who won three
Stanley Cups with the Devils and is
a fixture in the community and a TV
personality. Allen Iverson I would say is the
same on the Philadelphia side. He’s one of
those guys that can light up a room. When
you have such strong iconic legends in and
around an agreement, I think it really helps
the visual environment come to life.
It’s great for us, PartyPoker are great
partners; smart, aggressive and they want
to be number one in this space. For us, we
want to make sure that we’re with the right
partners. From their end, in the state of
New Jersey, there’s one team with ‘Jersey’
in their name, and that’s the Devils. The
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iGB Affiliate FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
Prudential Center attracts two million
people every year, and with endorsement
from brands that eight million-plus people
in Jersey trust, it makes sense for all of us.
With sports fans the world over, there’s
an emotional attachment to their team,
and there’s a community spirit among
the fan base. With the online gaming
companies and alcohol companies that
sponsor football and rugby teams in
Europe, there has to be some distance
between the younger element of that
family community and the catchment
audience that you’re trying to target with
the sponsorship. What sort of things are
in place with your deal to ensure that this
advertising and branding is targeted at
the right segment of the audience?
I can say, unequivocally, that when Disney
on Ice comes to town, there won’t be big
PartyPoker signage. In all seriousness,
we’re putting in the standard precautions.
We have a lot of experience working with
land-based casinos and alcohol brands and
online gaming doesn’t seem to be any kind
with the PartyPoker brand will benefit
you? What does it bring to the table that
perhaps other gaming brands lack?
From the beginning, I’ve had this core
belief that people do business with
people; companies don’t do business with
companies. We sat down formally with
these guys for the first time at the Leaders
in Football conference in London. Then we
met a couple of partners, and everyone we
met within this company we seemed to
connect with. We appeared to be very likeminded, which was important.
Secondly, I was struck with their
analytical capabilities, their understanding
of data and how to translate that. That’s
really important to us, and we certainly
think there’s some cross-marketing
opportunities down the road. Given their
stage of development now in the US, we’ll
certainly get in front and help them with
brand recognition and driving traffic and
getting people in New Jersey to play.
The experience is very good online,
and once we have loyal users and
players, I think there’s certainly an
“From the beginning, I’ve had this core belief that people
do business with people; companies don’t do business
with companies.”
of lightning rod. We’ve been working in a
promotional capacity with the land-based
casinos on the sports side for six years.
You’ve got 50 million people playing
poker in the US, and I’m sure that there’s
always a segment of the population that is
concerned about gaming and concerned
about liquor consumption. Everyone
has the right to voice concerns. We’re
comfortable and confident that we can put
(and have put) the right controls and targets
in place to make sure that the promotions
are seen by the right people. It’s a wasted
message if it’s mis-targeted.
You’ve touched on their brand reach
but how do you believe the association
opportunity for us to learn from the
data and hopefully have them help
us when they build their database.
It’s a really symbiotic relationship.
The significance of this deal has been
keenly felt within the iGaming industry.
How significant do you think this
partnership is given the fledgling state of
the online gaming market in New Jersey?
Not only do I think it’s important for New
Jersey, it’s important nationally. The world
may not be watching, but the US certainly
is. I know some of the surrounding states
like Illinois and Pennsylvania and further
afield in California, are watching closely to
see if it fits together and make sense. I think