The news that the NHL is taking a small stake in PointsBet to accompany the marketing partnership announced last week raised eyebrows among observers.
The announcement regarding the multi-year official betting partnership is itself far from unique. PointsBet is now the fourth official sports betting partner for the NHL after signing deals in late 2019 with BetMGM, FanDuel, and William Hill.
PointsBet itself is also promiscuous when it comes to sporting partnerships. It now has a range of official betting partnerships with leagues – it is also a partner with the NBA – and teams including the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, to name just a couple.
But what made this deal different was the small share stake that came as part of the package; a slug of equity worth $500,000.