Carnival Corporation will be looking to enhance the betting experience onboard the company’s cruise ships. To that end, it has entered a new agreement with BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, which started as a combination of MGM Resorts International and Entain Plc.
The new partnership will make BetMGM’s gaming systems, most notably sports betting, available onboard more than 50 ships that have their homeports in the US. These include vessels from Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Princess Cruises.
Sports Betting and Gaming To Carnival Brands
After a brief experiment with sports betting on Royal Caribbean’s ships, which did not return after the pandemic, Carnival Corp. will try to bring the excitement of live sports betting to its vessels.
The company has entered a new agreement with BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator. BetMGM will be delivering mobile sports betting and iGaming experiences to cruise ship guests on board the Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Princess Cruises ships based in the US.
“We’ve found an ideal partner in Carnival Corporation and look forward to providing our sports betting and iGaming products to its millions of passengers,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “This is another great opportunity for us to further expand BetMGM’s footprint.”
The package, which will be rolled out over the next couple of months, includes BetMGM-branded digital and cash-based sports betting and digital real-money gaming products. Additionally, BetMGM and Carnival Corporation will collaborate on co-marketing and promotional activations.
Marty Goldman, SVP of Global Casino Operations for Carnival Corporation, said, “We’re very proud to be able to deliver the excitement and engagement of sports betting and iGaming to our guests through our partnership with BetMGM.“
The deal will be good for both parties. First of all, Carnival Corporation will be able to add several upgrades to its onboard casinos, which have proven extremely popular over the years.
Second, it will enable BetMGM to expand its market share to cruise ships while also benefitting from the far less stringent casino rules which come into play about 12 miles off the coast of any host country.
Smart Partnership
A partnership between the biggest cruise company and one of the biggest live-sports betting companies in the US comes as no surprise. The sports betting market accounts for 30% to 40% of the worldwide gambling market, producing a yield higher than $400 billion in 2021, according to Statista.
Goldman Sachs has predicted that the global market for sports betting could increase to nearly 39 billion USD by 2030. Only a tiny piece of this would significantly impact the income cruise ships make from casinos.
BetMGM offers Carnival Corporation’s guests the possibility to bet on a range of sports such as Football, Basketball, Ice Hockey, and even Golf and Tennis.
So far, only one cruise line in the Carnival Corporation group of companies offers live sports betting. Princess Cruises provides the option through the Ocean Sportsbook. BetMGM’s kiosks will replace this option.
