Politicians aren’t the only ones taking to the highways to get attention these days, as Caesars announced a unique marketing strategy to highlight their sportsbook — a truck tour.
"The Caesars Sportsbook & Casino Truck Tour is an exciting chapter in our story as we shift our marketing focus to a more localized and targeted approach in our second year" said Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital.
Each stop is expected to have betting promos (where allowed), VIP experiences, and celebrity appearances. The truck is also designed to have a production studio and a podcast studio for outlets like ESPN, CBS Sports, and Omaha Productions to record live broadcasts.
"The team at Omaha could not be more excited to hit the road with our friends at Caesars this football season," said Omaha Productions Founder Peyton Manning.
The tour is expected to make 17 different stops from Monday until the Super Bowl, covering NFL, college football, and even NHL events.
The tour shouldn't be an issue for states where Caesars operates, as it has either a retail or online sportsbook presence in 24 states and D.C.
Navigating state laws
The tour does provide a unique challenge as each state has different legal sports betting laws and Caesars will have to tailor its activities accordingly, especially when going to more restrictive locations — or states that are not legalized yet.
First, for the 12 planned NFL-related stops, the league has a rule where it does not allow retails sportsbooks inside stadiums to open on game days. Teams such as the Arizona Cardinals have got around the rule by partnering with a sportsbook just outside State Farm Stadium.
Based on the location of each truck stop, people may have an opportunity to physically bet on the corresponding game... but the regulatory challenges will be something to monitor:
The first stop will be in New York, where retail betting is primarily limited to tribal casinos.
Another stop is scheduled to coincide with the Buffalo Bills visiting the Baltimore Ravens on October 2. Maryland currently only allows for retail sports betting within preapproved locations — nor has M&T Bank Stadium not made any moves to obtain sports betting a license.
The Caesars truck also plans to set up shop during major events hosted in Texas, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Georgia — none of which either currently allow sports betting or are expected to have sports betting up and running anytime soon.
