BetMGM, Carnival announce partnership for sports betting on ships

Carnival Corp., which operates more than 50 cruise ships under three brands, and BetMGM, the sports-wagering division of MGM Resorts International, on Friday announced that sports betting and iGaming will be available on ships in future months.

The partnership will deliver retail and mobile sports betting and iGaming experiences to cruise ship guests on Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises ships ported in the United States.

The companies said BetMGM’s platform will roll out in phases over the coming months.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Because gambling occurs in international waters during cruises, Carnival and BetMGM don’t need to seek regulatory approvals to proceed.

“We’ve found an ideal partner in Carnival Corp. and look forward to providing our sports betting and iGaming products to its millions of passengers,” BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said in a release. “This is another great opportunity for us to further expand BetMGM’s footprint.”

BetMGM and Carnival will collaborate on co-marketing and promotional activations.

Sports wagering is now legal in 30 U.S. states and iGaming — playing casino games online, usually not using real money — is offered by several companies nationwide.

The BetMGM app is available for download on both iOS and Android, and is accessible via desktop.

“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,” Marty Goldman, senior vice president of global casino operations for Carnival, said in a release. “Our two leading global hospitality organizations will provide a wide array of immersive digital content as a complement to our exceptional shipboard casinos.”

Josh Swissman, founding partner of the Las Vegas-based Strategy Organization, said he thought the collaboration between BetMGM and Carnival was a good move because it will expose cruise travelers to a form of gambling they may not ever have participated in.

“The reality is that casino companies like MGM have been partnering with cruise lines for decades and this is a natural extension of what land-based partners have been doing for a long time,” he said.

Some companies have embedded cruises as part of their rewards programs in the past, he said.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.