Yahoo Sports and MGM Resorts have entered into an exclusive multi-year deal that will bring online betting to Yahoo’s fantasy sports app, the two companies shared in a joint release Tuesday morning.
Starting in November, sports fans in New Jersey will be able to place bets on Yahoo’s fantasy app via MGM’s BetMGM digital platform. A Yahoo spokesperson told TheWrap the feature will rollout to more states as they adopt similar online gambling laws to New Jersey. Fans will be able to bet on the NBA, NHL, baseball, football, golf, tennis and college sports, according to Yahoo and MGM.
“The historic partnership with Yahoo Sports and BetMGM will change the future of fandom, providing new ways for sports fans to go beyond engaging with content and interact through commerce,” Guru Gowrappan, the CEO of Verizon Media, Yahoo’s parent company, said in a statement.
Gowrappan added that 60 million sports fans currently use Yahoo’s fantasy app each month.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and it’s unclear what cut of bets made on the app Yahoo will receive.
MGM CEO Jim Murren called the deal an “important moment” in expanding the company’s reach in the U.S. “Integrating Yahoo’s leading fantasy sports operations and content with BetMGM’s world-class sports betting and interactive platform uniquely positions us to drive market share and large-scale adoption among sports fans,” he said in a statement.
The Yahoo-MGM partnership comes about 18 months after the U.S. Supreme Court removed the federal ban on sports gambling. Since the decision, 11 states have legalized sports gambling, including New York and New Jersey, and several other states are moving towards legalization, according to Business Insider.
The partnership brings the U.S. one step closer to resembling sports gambling abroad. Fans of the English Premier League, for example, can place soccer bets inside the stadium while watching a match. ESPN and Fox Sports have both leaned into gambling in the last year as well, launching their own sports betting shows.
Both NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman lauded the Yahoo-MGM deal on Tuesday. Silver said it “will offer fans unprecedented ways to engage with our games,” while Bettman said it will “connect fans” in “new and innovative ways.”
As part of the deal, MGM and Yahoo will also work together on several content experiences, including live events from the NBA and NHL, in the years ahead.