Michigan’s Detroit Lions have announced the signing of an agreement that will see the BetMGM service from Roar Digital, a joint venture of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and GVC Holdings (LSE: GVC), serve as the club’s very first official sports betting?partner.

The National Football League (NFL) franchise used an official press release to detail that the new alliance is to involve “fan-focused assets” such as presenting sponsor of Lions Perks and Lions Bingo, along with digital marketing assets, team broadcast programming, and in-stadium signage and promotions.

The NFC North team stated that these additions reflect an extension of the existing multi-year partnership with the Lions and MGM Resorts, which features the luxury lounge offering,?MGM Grand Detroit Tunnel Club at Ford Field located in Downtown Detroit.

Fan engagement opportunities:

Team President for the Detroit Lions, Rod Wood, noted…

“The Detroit Lions historic relationship with BetMGM has been years in the making and we’re proud to announce details of our official partnership.”

“We’re continuously seeking new ways to entertain and involve our fans which is especially important during such unusual times; this partnership with BetMGM will provide additional and exciting opportunities to engage our fans.”

Accessed via the Detroit Lions official mobile app, Lions Bingo will see fans that accurately predict the right sequence of game scenarios made eligible to win cash prizes along with future all expenses paid trips to visit MGM Resort properties throughout the U.S.

First introduced during the 2018 NFL season, Lion Perks is open to all fans at home games within the team’s downloadable mobile app available on iOS and Android.?BetMGM and the BetMGM Sports Lounge at the reopened MGM Grand Detroit Casino will offer exclusive rewards and special offers from the multi-faceted fan engagement platform [Lions Perks].

Future alliances:

Chief Marketing Officer for BetMGM,?Matt Prevost, said…

“When we first opened the BetMGM Sports Lounge at MGM Grand Detroit in March, we hoped to develop deep relationships with the state’s top teams.

“We are honored to be the first sports betting partner of the Lions and to offer their fans access to a variety of best-in-class promotions and perks only available on BetMGM.”

Roar Digital has exclusive access to all MGM’s U.S. land-based and online sports betting, offering real-money and free-to-play online casino gaming under the Borgata and BetMGM headline brands.

Also commenting on the new alliance, President for the ‘Midwest Group,’?David Tsai, added…

“All of us at MGM Grand Detroit are eager and ready to welcome the Detroit Lions and sports betting fans to our BetMGM Sports Lounge this football season.

“We know everyone is eager to get out of their homes and add some fun into their calendars. We are committed to raising the bar in delivering unique and entertaining experiences.”

The agreement follows BetMGM sports betting partnerships inked in recent weeks with the Denver Broncos, PGA Tour, and NASCAR.

Lions season opener:

The Detroit Lions kick off the 2020 NFL regular season in a home game on Sunday, Sept. 13th against the Chicago Bears.

It is the team’s first home opener against the Midwest rival since 1982 when the franchise’s regular season was shortened to 9 games due to the NFL player’s strike, and the team qualified for their first postseason appearance, despite having a losing record, since 1970. The Lions lost that game to the Washington Redskins in the 1st round of the playoffs.

Hopefully, for Lions’ fans, the Matt Patricia-led team can do better than last season’s 3-12-1 record.