Sportsbooks use things like new user bonuses, deposit matches and promotions to gain loyalty from bettors. But the new partnership between BetMGM and Carnival Corporation offers a betting experience unmatched by any competitors in today’s betting market.
The duo announced they’re coming together to offer retail and mobile sports betting along with iGaming to cruise ship passengers. Betting will be available on more than 50 US-ported ships within the next few months including:
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Holland America Line
- Princess Cruises
In due time, New York residents and visitors will be able to await departure from Empire State ports with legal NY sports betting options before boarding a ship to take part in online sports betting and online casino gaming as they sail to Bermuda, the Caribbean or the Bahamas among many other options.
BetMGM brand featured on Carnival cruise lines
Carnival is a premier name in the leisure travel industry. It operates nine of the world’s leading cruise lines and has ports in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia.
Carnival’s SVP Global Casino Operations Marty Goldman had this to say about the partnership in the press release announcing the partnership:
“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. Our two leading global hospitality organizations will provide a wide array of immersive digital content as a complement to our exceptional shipboard casinos.”
BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt shared his thoughts on the groundbreaking deal with Carnival:
“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. This is another great opportunity for us to further expand BetMGM’s footprint.”
How this impacts New York bettors
New York is one of nine states with Carnival ports. The other eight include:
- Maryland
- Alabama
- Louisiana
- California
- Washington
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- Texas
From that list, online sports betting is only live and legal in New York, Louisiana and Virginia. So there may not be as profound of an impact on the betting scene in those states.
But BetMGM will have the chance to gain the loyalty of bettors in the states that haven’t legalized sports wagering. If a new user enjoys their experience using BetMGM Sportsbook on a Carnival cruise, they’ll surely remember that if legislation passes in their state allowing them to legally bet on their mobile device or in a retail sportsbook.
As for New York, BetMGM reported $123 million in online sports betting handle for the month of May. This placed BetMGM firmly in fourth among NY online sportsbooks in the Empire State. But claiming its stake as the only legal betting option on Carnival ships will provide BetMGM an upper hand on the top New York sportsbooks.
