PointsBet, Red Wings Deal Includes Sports Betting Lounge

Over the past year, PointsBet has been active in building a presence in Michigan.

On Tuesday, PointsBet added another Detroit professional sports franchise to its partnership list: the Red Wings. The deal includes a branded sports betting lounge in Little Caesars Arena, according to a news release.

Last July, the sports betting company entered the Michigan gaming market when it reached a deal with the Detroit Tigers, and just last week, PointsBet announced it was an official sports betting partner of the Detroit Pistons.

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PointsBet and the Red Wings disclosed their strategic multi-year deal in a news release. The partnership is designed to enhance fan engagement and game-day excitement. The new sports betting lounge/bar is expected to be operational in 2024 and will offer a full-service food and beverage menu, high-definition televisions, live betting odds, special guests, unique programming, VIP access and fun gaming promotions.

“Our fans will enjoy the lively atmosphere of the PointsBet Sports Bar and the energy this partnership will bring to the game-day experience in and around Little Caesars Arena,” Chris Granger, group president of sports & entertainment for Ilitch Holdings Inc., said in the release. “We are proud to deepen our relationship with PointsBet and we look forward to creating dynamic experiences for our fans.”

In addition to the new PointsBet Sports Bar, the deal will also include television broadcast-visible virtual signage just inside the blue lines. There will also be LED PointsBet signage and branding throughout Little Caesars Arena during Red Wings home games.

More Details of the Partnership

Red Wings fans can also expect to see PointsBet advertised across the team’s digital platforms, and the Red Wings Radio Network will be integrated into the District Detroit mobile app and be regularly featured on the Word on Woodward — a twice-weekly live streaming show that airs on both the Red Wings and Tigers channels.

“We are thrilled to extend our relationship with the Ilitch organization and announce this partnership with the Detroit Red Wings, a very proud and storied NHL franchise with an extremely passionate fanbase,” Johnny Aitken, CEO of PointsBet USA, said in the release. “We now have the unique opportunity to work closely across both the Red Wings and Tigers, and we look forward to leveraging our competitive advantage of owning our technology environment from end to end to implement engaging product innovation and personalized offerings to complement our app's market-leading speed.”

PointsBet Approved in Michigan

PointsBet made its U.S. debut in January 2019 and is now active in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and New Jersey. The Australian-founded company is the only provider in the U.S. of its unique PointsBetting product, which rewards or penalizes a wager for how much it wins or loses by.

For example, if a player’s bet wins by one point, the bettor would win one time the amount wagered. And if the bet won by two, the win would be twice the original wager. The same would go for a losing bet with the degree of penalty depends on how far off the bet was from winning, such as losing by 10 points would result in a loss 10 times the initial wager.

PointsBet also features its Good Karma Payouts initiative, which gives its players the ability to decide what bad beats they want to be refunded. New users who email PointsBet with the worst beats they have experienced all month are eligible to receive up to $100 in free bets for their tough losses. In addition to the NHL and MLB, PointsBet claims it offers the most betting markets on the NFL and NBA.

In December, PointsBet was one of 15 platform providers approved by the Michigan Gaming Control Board for a provisional license and will aim to be one of the sportsbooks to go live when the state officially gives the OK for its online casino gaming and mobile sports betting launch. And with partnerships with three of Detroit’s major sports teams, PointsBet has positioned itself to become one of the more visible brands in Michigan.

“We are excited to unveil a deep and differentiated betting option into the great state of Michigan,” Aitken said.