The iconic New Orleans Superdome will be re-branded as the Caesars Superdome in a branding deal that will put the iconic gaming company front and center during NFL broadcasts. It’s, yet another, example of how dramatically the relationship between professional sports organizations and the gambling industry have changed since the legalization of sports betting.
Under the terms of the deal, Caesars Entertainment will paying somewhere around $138 million directly to the New Orleans Saints for the privilege of planting their name on the stadium. In doing so, Caesars will be the first gambling company to strike a stadium naming deal with the NFL. (The Hard Rock Hotel has a deal with the Miami Dolphins, but that deal is only with the hotel and not the casino.)
The Saints’ current, 10-year, stadium naming deal with Mercedes-Benz expires on July 31 and the new deal starts up on August 1, in time for the upcoming NFL season.
Though the Superdome is technically a public entity, details of the deal remain relatively scarce. Officials for the New Orleans Saints say that’s necessary in order to protect Caesars. In a statement reported on by NOLA.com, team officials said, “While the team wishes to be fully transparent and respects the members’ questions about the financial terms, the team asked that the financial terms remain confidential.”
Caesars can expect to get their money’s worth out of the 20-year deal. Besides hosting sixteen NFL games and more than 200 other events each year, the New Orleans Superdome will also be hosting the 2025 Super Bowl.