Caesars Entertainment is no stranger to the NFL. The casino chain has relationships with several teams including the playoff-bound Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, and the Baltimore Ravens. But the entertainment corporation still felt the need to strike a deal with the league.

Caesars, NFL Reach Historic Sponsorship

The NFL announced on Thursday that they’d selected Caesars Entertainment Corporation, home to venues like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, as the first ever official casino sponsor of the league.

The new league deal along with the already existing individual team partnerships are for the Casino category only and does not include sports betting, daily fantasy or hotels/resorts. Beginning with the upcoming playoffs, the NFL will strive to create “unique experiences for NFL fans by using its casino properties, celebrity chefs, premier music artists, and a wide range of entertainment elements” as part of the Caesars deal.

The casino will also have exclusive rights to use the NFL trademark in the US and the UK. They will use this to promote the Casino chain and during its involvement with the NFL Draft and the Super Bowl.

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We couldn’t be more excited to work with one of the world’s largest gaming and entertainment companies,” said Renie Anderson, Senior Vice President of NFL Partnerships, Sponsorship and Consumer Products. “Combining the NFL with Caesars’ expertise in world class entertainment will provide our fans unique experiences both here in the United States and abroad.”

“All of us at Caesars Entertainment are thrilled to be the first-ever casino partner of the NFL, the most prominent sports league in North America,” said Mark Frissora, President and CEO of Caesars Entertainment. “Combining the league’s 180 million fans with our 55 million Total Rewards loyalty program members will expose millions of people to the exclusive and exciting year-round opportunities at our properties.”

The move comes from a league that just ten years ago shunned gambling. At that time, the league still had rules that banned commercials from cities that had legalized gambling.

On Sunday, former NBA All-Star Charles Oakley landed himself in legal trouble for the second time in 18 months.

Charles Oakley Arrested For Cheating At Casino

The former New York Knicks star was arrested in Las Vegas after being suspected of cheating at The Cosmopolitan hotel and casino.

Oakley, 54, was accused of allegedly “adding to or reducing his wager on a gambling game after the outcome was known.” The Nevada Gaming Control Board called his move an effort to “commit or attempt to commit a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment,” although no additional information was released.

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Oakley was the ninth overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. He played most of his career with the Knicks, although he also spent time with the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards. Oakley currently works as a coach in the BIG3 basketball league.

The former big man’s previous run-in with the law came in February 2017, when he got into a fight with security guards at Madison Square Garden in New York and was thrown out of the arena. Oakley had reportedly gotten into a heated argument with Knicks owner James Dolan and was ultimately handcuffed after he assaulted security personnel. Then-Knicks general manager Phil Jackson attempted to calm Oakley down in the Knicks’ tunnel.

“He won’t even shake my hand,” Oakley said of Dolan after the incident. Draymond Green later blasted the MSG owner’s treatment of Oakley, calling it “slave master mentality.”

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Oakley ended up drawing misdemeanor trespassing and assault charges, and he was banned from MSG for a year. The charges were eventually dropped and Oakley sued Dolan, the Garden and MSG Networks for libel and defamation. This lawsuit remains active in court.