The NHL (North American hockey league) began allowing teams to negotiate advertising space on their uniforms and helmets three years ago. The Washington Capitals were the first to close a deal before the 2022-23 season.
Caesars Entertainment ushered in the era of jersey advertising, placing the Caesars Sportsbook logo on both the Capitals’ game jerseys and alternate jerseys.
Which betting companies are featured on NHL uniforms and helmets this season?
This season, the list of online gaming and betting sponsors includes Play Alberta, Game Sense, Circa Sports, and Betway.
The vast majority of teams are sponsored by entities unrelated to sports. But the NHL is the most permissive league among the four major US leagues regarding this type of sponsorship.
The NBA and MLB do not allow betting company sponsors on uniforms. The NFL, on the other hand, does not offer any type of sponsorship with patches on uniforms.
MLS allows this type of sponsorship on jerseys, but only the Seattle Sounders had a company sponsor this season. The Emerald Queen casino, owned by the Puyallup tribe, appeared on the sleeve of Seattle’s jersey.
Thus, the NHL achieved a record $1.53 billion in sponsorship revenue last season. It’s worth noting that jersey patch sales contracts range from $3.4 million to $4.2 million per year.
Play Alberta has partnered with Oilers and Flames.
Play Alberta, the province’s only regulated online gaming site, has partnerships with the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames.
A study by the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom published research that revealed that last year’s Stanley Cup final, between the Oilers and the Panthers, featured a betting advertisement or brand 3.5 times per minute.
Therefore, this statistic is largely due to the Play Alberta patch on the players’ jerseys, which appeared in games 1, 2, 5 and 7 in Edmonton.
Furthermore, it’s worth remembering that Karbon-X, a climate solutions provider, had its logo displayed on the Edmonton Oilers’ uniforms during games played in Florida.
Like many teams, the Oilers have different sponsors for their home and away uniforms. This also helps to avoid advertising gambling in states that do not offer legalized sports betting.
Both the Oilers and the Flames prominently display the Play Alberta brand on their home game uniforms. GameSense, a responsible gaming program run by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis agency, is featured on both teams’ helmets when they play at home.
The AGLC’s GameSense and Self-Exclusion programs integrate with Play Alberta. The goal is to educate and support people about the risks of gambling.