theScore Bet Lands Prime Real Estate With Toronto Blue Jays Partnership

It’s Opening Day for the 2022 MLB regular season, and stakeholders with one of Canada’s premier sports media companies have a lot to celebrate. A new theScore Bet–Toronto Blue Jays partnership is a big part of that celebration.

With this deal, theScore Bet gets prime exposure to the fan base of Canada’s only MLB franchise. There is one unique element to this deal that makes it especially valuable for theScore Bet, too.

theScore Bet, Blue Jays team up

According to a press release, this partnership covers both digital and physical real estate. It’s unprecedented for both parties as well. theScore Bet is the Blue Jays’ first gambling partner. The Blue Jays are theScore Bet’s first professional team sponsorship.

For its money, theScore Bet gets marketing rights across Canada in all gaming categories. In addition, the two will collaborate to create a branded sports bar at Rogers Centre. Fans can also expect to see marketing for theScore Bet around Rogers Centre and on the Blue Jays’ digital channels.

Those in-stadium elements will include premium seating sections on both baselines and in-game activations. theScore Bet also tak
es over as the presenting sponsor of the Jays Care 50/50 program.

“theScore Bet is proudly Canadian and we are thrilled to make Canada’s baseball team our long-term partner,” said John Levy, CEO, theScore Bet.

“This is a foundational partnership with a team and organization that is deeply embedded in our country’s sports culture. Teaming with the Blue Jays opens up exciting new exclusive marketing opportunities and brings theScore Bet even closer to a huge audience of passionate and engaged fans, both on-site at Rogers Centre and online across our platforms.”

“With our combined loyal audiences and brand affinity in Ontario, we believe this deal will establish a new standard for team and gaming operator relationships as we pioneer innovative ways to experience and interact with the game.”

One word in the press release is huge. It’s also mostly absent from other deals of this kind.

theScore Bet made a huge play

The unique word in this announcement is exclusive. In similar partnerships, parties retain the right to negotiate similar deals with partners’ competitors. For example, MLB has official sportsbook partnerships with seven different brands.

The exclusivity of this deal brings a lot of value to both parties. theScore Bet rests assured that the Blue Jays won’t deliver exposure to any of its competitors. At the same time, theScore Bet likely paid a premium for that exclusivity.

It’s timely not just because the season is opening but for another reason. On Monday, licensed online casinos and online sportsbooks went live in Ontario. Thus, when people at Rogers Centre taking in a Blue Jays game see an ad for theScore Bet, they can immediately try its online gambling products out, provided they are of age.

With this news, a big piece of the sponsorship real estate for Ontario online gambling is off the market. For theScore Bet, this might be a home run.