Another day, another sports betting company partnering with a prominent pro sports franchise.
This time, it’s PointsBet and the Chicago Bears, the duo announced in a press release on Friday.
The Bears are the second Chicago pro sports team to partner with a sports betting operator officially. Earlier this month, the Cubs and DraftKings struck a deal.
There’s been no word about Soldier Field opening up a PointsBet retail sportsbook, so we’ll have to see if that’s in the cards. There will be a DraftKings retail sportsbook at Wrigley Field as part of their partnership.
PointsBet will gain full access to Bears IP, marks and logos. Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA CEO, said:
“The PointsBet team is incredibly excited to become the first legal sportsbook partner in Chicago Bears history. We are teaming up with a first-class organization, supported by extremely passionate fans.
Since launching our fast and differentiated mobile sports betting app in Illinois, we’ve been thrilled by the reception from Chicago sports bettors. We’ve always viewed Illinois to be a supreme market opportunity for the PointsBet brand, and we look forward to increasing our presence alongside famed partners in the Chicago Bears.”
PointsBet leaned into Bears more than any other IL book at launch
It was clear that the Bears were the focal point of PointsBet’s launch strategy from the start.
The first week, the book offered Bears +100 against the Lions, followed by +89 against the Giants. It has another no-brainer offer set up for the Falcons game on Sunday.
One would expect Chicago Bears betting promotions to continue throughout the partnership, though perhaps not as generous as the ones mentioned above.
PointsBet also partnered with legendary Bears kick returner Devin Hester, who is the face of the Illinois brand. The release says that “as a symbiotic element to the partnership, a primary point of differentiation for the PointsBet mobile product is unmatched speed and ease of use.”
PointsBet was already a serious player in Illinois thanks to its lucrative NBC deal and a prime retail location at Hawthorne Race Course. It will have four retail sportsbook locations in total, all in the Chicagoland area.
And with the NBC deal, PointsBet has exclusive access to Chicago White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks TV broadcasts. All of their local games air on NBC Sports Chicago.
The Bears partnership is another big step for the Australian gaming company.
“As we break into the sports betting category for the first time, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome PointsBet to the Bears family as a Proud Partner,” said Chicago Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips. “This deal will bring fans a new way to interact with and cheer on the club.”
Another team partnership
The Bears are arguably the most prominent franchise PointsBet has partnered with, but they certainly aren’t the first.
It has similar deals with the Detroit Tigers, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, and the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche.
PointsBet also is partners with the Colorado Buffaloes of the NCAA.
You’ll likely notice a theme above: PointsBet is targeting specific markets where it hopes to compete with the likes of DraftKings, FanDuel, etc.
The Cubs already have an official sports betting partner, but the Bulls, White Sox and Blackhawks don’t.
Might one of them be next? We’ll have to wait and see. Regardless, prepare to hear a lot more about PointsBet if you’re a Chicago sports fan.
