TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, and Bally's Corporation (NYSE: BALY), a leading U.S. omni-channel provider of land-based gaming and interactive entertainment, announced today a groundbreaking deal designating Bally's as MLF’s exclusive Sports Betting, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), and Free-to-Play (F2P) Partner for MLF’s tournament circuits – all firsts for the professional fishing industry. This deal represents Bally’s fifth sports betting agreement with a professional sports league, following previously announced agreements with the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball.
The partnership includes Bally’s online sportsbook, Bally Bet, becoming the title sponsor of MLF’s coveted Angler of the Year (AOY) Award for the Bass Pro Tour, the sport’s most visible and competitive tournament circuit. The prize for the 2022 Bally Bet AOY winner will be $100,000. The partnership also includes rights for Bally’s to stream Bass Pro Tour events via its own apps.
"As we ready for the start of our 2022 season, our partnership with Bally's will offer our loyal fans and anglers another unique avenue to engage with professional fishing and the Bass Pro Tour," MLF President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Wilburn said. "This partnership marks an important moment for Major League Fishing in the growing U.S. gaming and sports betting sectors. Integrating Bally’s industry-best online sports betting and unique gaming offerings with MLF’s SCORETRACKER LIVE® and fan-friendly platforms position us to drive viewership, participation, and large-scale adoption among sports fans.”
As part of the agreement, Bally’s technology will power two new free-to-play fantasy fishing games for the 2022 season. The MLF Predictor Game, an engaging game that offers fans the chance to make predictions at Bass Pro Tour events for prizes, will be rolled out for a full season. MLF Fantasy Fishing will also debut in 2022 for both the MLF Bass Pro Tour and the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. The free-to-play game will allow fans to select their team of anglers for each tournament, create private leagues with their family and friends, and win tens of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. Additional details on the MLF Predictor and Fantasy Fishing games will be announced soon.
"We know how passionate the millions of recreational anglers are about the professional ranks of their sport,” said Adi Dhandhania, Chief Operating Officer of North America for Bally Interactive, the company's digital division. “This integrated partnership is a perfect showcase for Bally’s, allowing us to leverage our sports betting, daily fantasy sports, and free-to-play games to enhance the fishing fan experience across MLF media and live events.”
The 2022 professional bass fishing seasons will launch early next year, with the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Stop 1 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Jan. 27-30, and the Bass Pro Tour Stage One in Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana, Feb. 5-10.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing, its tournaments, and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. In 2019, MLF expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh, and immediately release events to include the sport’s strongest five-biggest-fish format tournament circuits. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams, and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement, and fish care.
Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™
About Bally's Corporation
Bally's Corporation is a global casino-entertainment company with a growing omni-channel presence of Online Sports Betting and iGaming offerings. It currently owns and manages 14 casinos across 10 states, a horse racetrack in Colorado, and has access to OSB licenses in 16 states. It also owns Gamesys Group, a leading global online gaming operator, Bally Interactive, a first-in-class sports betting platform, Monkey Knife Fight, the fastest growing daily fantasy sports site in North America, SportCaller, a leading, global B2B free-to-play game provider, and Telescope Inc., a leading provider of real-time fan engagement solutions.
With approximately 10,000 employees, the Company's Casino operations include more than 15,800 slot machines, 500 table games and 5,300 hotel rooms. Upon closing the previously announced Tropicana Las Vegas (NV) transaction, as well as completing the construction of a land-based casino near the Nittany Mall in State College, PA, Bally's will own and manage 16 casinos across 11 states. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "BALY".
