Washington Capitals Become First NHL Team to Sell Ads on Jersey

The Washington Capitals have become the first team in NHL history to sell advertising on their jerseys. The Capitals first ad partner will be Caesars Entertainment.

The Caps will place a Caesars Sportsbook patch on the upper right of their home and third jersey beginning in the 2022 season.

“Following the successful launch of Caesars Sportsbook adjacent to Capital One Arena last spring, we are thrilled to introduce Caesars Sportsbook as the Capitals’ inaugural home jersey advertising partner in a first-of-its-kind announced partnership in the NHL,” MSE President of Business Operations and Chief Commercial Officer Jim Van Stone said in a statement. “Together as two industry leaders, we’ve built a robust partnership in the gaming and casino space, and our overall relationship reflects our shared commitment to providing sports fans with world-class, unique experiences.

“MSE, the Capitals, and Caesars share a commitment and passion toward innovation in the sports and entertainment space, and the opportunity to incorporate Caesars onto Capitals home jerseys is a wonderful development and exciting new fan engagement opportunity for both organizations in the nation’s capital.”

The NHL’s advertising/Sponsorship program will permit teams to sell as many as two patches on their uniforms. As for the Capitals, the Casear’s patch will appear on Washington’s home uniforms, according to NBC Sports Washington.

According to ESPN:

The NHL has been aggressively making deals with gambling ventures after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision nullified the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2019, ushering in unprecedented levels of legalized sports wagering around the nation.

Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have launched legal sports betting markets. Several more are gearing up to enter the bookmaking business, and marketing of the once-taboo industry is intensifying.

The NHL will experiment with puck and player tracking technology in the 2021 season that is expected to add to the number of prop bets available to gamblers in the future.