Caesars Sportsbook Now Sports Betting Partner For MSU

In an announcement on Thursday morning, Caesars Sportsbook is now the sports betting partner for Michigan State University.

Stephen Brooks of 247sports was first to tweet it out:

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This is the first time that MSU has ever partnered with a sportsbook/gambling website.  The NCAA frowned upon sports betting for decades.  But ever since it was legalized outside of Nevada and New Jersey two years ago, 18 states have legalized on-line sports betting (which includes Michigan).  32 states have some form of sports gambling being legal.

It is a multi-year agreement with Caesars (exact terms are not known).  Playfly Sports (one of MSU's media rights holders) reportedly put the deal together.  MSU Athletic Director Alan Haller had this to say about the announcement:

"The opportunity to partner with Caesars, a leading force in the sports and entertainment industry, will help enhance gameday experiences for Spartan fans and provide significant resources to support the growing needs of each of our varsity programs," said Alan Haller, Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics. "We are excited to be on the cutting edge of this innovative opportunity, while recognizing the importance of Caesars' commitment to responsible sports gaming education both for the student-athletes and the University community as a whole."

Christy Hedgpeth, President of Playfly Sports Properties said this about the agreement:

"The rapidly expanding interest around gaming in the college space has pushed us to create strategic opportunities for our college properties that not only provide impactful gaming education resources but also significant opportunities to drive new sources of revenue, connecting Caesars' iconic brand to MSU's passionate community of students, fans and alumni is a perfect fit and another example of how partnerships like this are creating tremendous benefits for all parties involved."

Caesars Entertainment is the largest casino-entertainment entity in the United States.