BetMGM is partnering with the British-American Carnival Corporation and plc to provide cruise-ship passengers with retail and mobile sports betting.
Over the coming months, BetMGM's online sports betting and casino gambling platform will begin a phased rollout on more than 50 ships ported in the U.S. that are part of the global Carnival Cruise Line and its two subsidiaries, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. In addition, BetMGM and Carnival will collaborate on a variety of joint marketing and promotional ventures.
"We’ve found an ideal partner in Carnival Corporation and look forward to providing our sports betting and iGaming products to its millions of passengers," BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said in a press release. "This is another great opportunity for us to further expand BetMGM’s footprint."
Bon voyage
Casinos have long been a feature of cruise ships, but gaming was limited to slots, blackjack, roulette, and other table games. Last October, Carnival was the first cruise line to introduce sports betting on its Princess Cruises ships through its Ocean Sportsbook, but BetMGM will now be replacing those mobile and kiosk offerings with its more extensive array of gaming options.
Previously, Royal Caribbean experimented with limited sports betting on some of its cruise ships prior to the pandemic but this consisted merely of win/loss wagering against the line on major sporting events.
Now, though, BetMGM, one of the leading operators of online sports betting in the United States, and Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise line company in the world by market share, are joining forces.
In 2021, Carnival maintained its dominance of the cruise industry by virtue of its 45% market share, which was greater than that of its two nearest American-owned rivals, Royal Caribbean (25%) and Norwegian (15%), combined. Carnival is now betting that its partnership with BetMGM will give it an additional competitive edge over its two rivals.
Under the terms of the agreement, Carnival's U.S.-branded cruise ships will allow their passengers to partake in BetMGM-branded digital and cash-based betting options as soon as those ships enter international waters. International maritime law stipulates that international waters start about 12 miles off the coast of any host nation and this is the point where stringent U.S. regulations that govern land-based casinos and online betting sportsbooks no longer apply.
The announcement that BetMGM will help turn Carnival cruise ships into floating casinos and sportsbooks also comes in the wake of last month's news that all three of the cruise industry's big players — Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian — had reactivated their entire fleets.
"We’re very proud to be able to deliver the excitement and engagement of sports betting and iGaming to our guests through our partnership with BetMGM," Marty Goldman, vice president of global casino operations for Carnival, said in the release. "Our two leading global hospitality organizations will provide a wide array of immersive digital content as a complement to our exceptional shipboard casinos."
