Caesars Entertainment Inc. and the Detroit Lions announced a new partnership, making Caesars Sportsbook an Official Sports Betting Partner and Caesars Entertainment the Official iGaming Partner of the Detroit Lions. The collaboration with the defending NFC North Champions combines custom fan experiences for Caesars Rewards members with dynamic sponsorship assets and the use of official Detroit Lions logos and marks in multiple online casino games coming to Caesars’ digital platforms.

The first online casino game launch on behalf of this partnership will be a Live Dealer blackjack game featuring a custom-made Detroit Lions felt. The game is set to go live exclusively in Michigan at the start of the 2024-25 NFL season on Caesars Palace Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino for online casino players 21 and older.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Detroit Lions to bring opportunities to their fans that cater to their interests and are unique to the royal experience only Caesars can deliver. We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with sports fans in Michigan, and partnering with one of the most passionate fan bases in the NFL will help us grow that connection as we continue to expand our offerings in the state with the launch of Horseshoe Online Casino later this year,” said Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital.

“As we embark on this season, we’re proud to enhance our fan experiences with Caesars Entertainment. This partnership will unite Lions fans who are passionate about the team, offering them exclusive opportunities to engage with us both at Gamedays at Ford Field and through Caesars’ digital platforms here in Michigan,” said Detroit Lions Vice President of Corporate Partnership Mace Aluia.

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Caesars brands, including Caesars Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook & Casino, Caesars Palace Online Casino, and Horseshoe Online Casino, will be featured throughout Ford Field during Lions games. Additionally, Caesars brands will also be featured in radio spots on the Detroit Lions Radio Network and in team digital and social media.

This partnership builds on Caesars Entertainment’s presence in the region complementing its operation of the world-class destination, Caesars Windsor, located just across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario. The destination celebrated the grand opening of Ontario’s first full-service sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook at Caesars Windsor, in January 2023, providing an elevated environment for sports fans and fans of the Detroit Lions to enjoy and wager on marque sporting events.

Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced the signing of a definitive agreement to sell its intellectual property rights for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) brand to NSUS Group Inc. (NSUS), a leading investment group in the iGaming space known for successfully launching several groundbreaking ventures, including the innovative online poker room, GGPoker. The transaction, valued at a total of $500 million, includes $250 million in cash and a $250 million promissory note due five years after the transaction’s closing date (the Closing) secured by the WSOP intellectual property assets being sold.

As a part of this transaction, Caesars has secured the right from NSUS to continue hosting the WSOP’s flagship live tournament series at its Las Vegas casinos for the next 20 years. In addition, brick-and-mortar poker rooms currently operated by Caesars will continue to feature WSOP branding, and Caesars destinations will continue to enjoy preferential rights to host live WSOP Circuit (WSOP-C) events going forward.

Caesars Digital will also receive a license from NSUS to continue operating its recently upgraded WSOP Online real-money poker business in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future but will otherwise be restricted from operating online peer-to-peer real-money poker operations for a specified period of time and subject to certain exceptions.

“We’ve enjoyed a longstanding and successful partnership with GGPoker that has helped spur the growth of the WSOP brand. This transaction is an exciting step for Caesars as a company and the WSOP brand as it continues to evolve. We can’t wait to see what NSUS has in store for growing the WSOP’s legacy in poker, and we look forward to continuing to deliver an unmatched and familiar experience to poker players going forward,” Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital, said.

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“After collaborating with Caesars Entertainment for years, NSUS Group, the operators of GGPoker, is thrilled to announce their new role in leading the World Series of Poker, the world’s most renowned poker brand. We will leverage GGPoker’s cutting-edge technology and industry expertise to create an exciting future for WSOP, ensuring players have an increasingly improved, safe, and seamless poker experience. Under the new leadership, NSUS intends to expand WSOP worldwide, positioning it at the forefront of poker’s growth,” Michael Kim, Chief Executive Officer of NSUS Group, said.

This sale is subject to customary regulatory approvals and other closing conditions and is expected to close prior to the end of 2024. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided transactional counsel and Latham & Watkins LLP acted as finance counsel to Caesars, while NSUS was represented by Greenberg Traurig LLP.

Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced the closing of the previously announced acquisition of the operations of WynnBET’s Michigan iGaming business and the long-term extension of iGaming market access rights with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Caesars will assume operations on the existing platform under the WynnBET brand with no anticipated interruption to the customer experience.

Caesars Entertainment will announce a new online casino brand and the transition of the WynnBET iCasino operations to Caesars’ Michigan iGaming Platform in the second half of 2024, pending regulatory approvals.

“Caesars Entertainment would like to thank the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Michigan Gaming Control Board for their collaboration through this process,” Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital, said.