Australian gaming machine manufacturer Aristocrat Technologies has signed up as an official partner of NFL American football franchise the Las Vegas Raiders and its Allegiant Stadium, aiming to use the deal to showcase its latest products in one of the gambling capitals of the world.
Aristocrat’s category includes land-based gaming machines and certain digital social casino games, with Hector Fernandez, president of Aristocrat Americas, stating that the company has secured an exclusive casino gaming supplier partnership with the Raiders.
As an official partner of the Raiders, Aristocrat will have prominent signage throughout Allegiant Stadium year-round, including in-stadium and in-game branding and naming rights to the Owners East Club.
The partnership features entitlement of the Aristocrat Club at Allegiant Stadium, an ultra-exclusive experience with a full-service premium bar, luxury lounge and upgraded stadium seating for game-viewing.
Aristocrat already has suites at various venues, including T-Mobile Arena for Vegas Golden Knights NHL ice hockey games. However, Fernandez told the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper: “This is really the first foray into this type of partnership. We view this partnership less about having a suite… but as a symbiotic relationship with the Raiders’ fans. Their demographic is very complementary to what we do every day.”
He continued: “During non-NFL games we’ll be able to bring slot machines in demo mode to showcase new products. We intend to make this a strategic partnership where we will do potentially new product launches, showcase things that we’re working on and make it a fun, Vegas-type innovative experience.”
Fernandez said the Raiders partnership will also play a key role in Aristocrat’s presence at the Global Gaming Expo, which draws around 25,000 people to Las Vegas every year. “What the Raiders (deal) allows us to do is host a massive evening party (at the stadium) and potentially put slot machines on the 50-yard line and really build a holistic experience for our customers so they can start to feel what a player is going to feel playing that game,” he said.
“Instead of renting out a restaurant or bar, we have the unique capability to actually do this in arguably the greatest stadium that’s ever been built.”
Fernandez also admitted the agreement could open the door to the production of Raiders-branded slot machines, a development that NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said would not be prohibited by the League.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to invite people to come play our games, and at this point we have no plans for a Raiders-branded slot machine,” Fernandez said. “But just like any business decision, we’ll always evaluate what makes sense.”
Legends Global Partnerships represented the Raiders to secure the partnership with Aristocrat as a part of its duties as the stadium’s official premium ticketing and sponsorships agency. The Raiders opened its new state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium on September 21 with a 34-24 win over the New Orleans Saints.
The 65,000-seat facility became the second new NFL venue to open last month after SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, staged its first game on September 13. No Raiders fans were in attendance for the team’s home opener amid ongoing restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Raiders confirmed in August that the stadium would not welcome fans for the duration of the 2020 season.
TheStadiumBusiness.com recently spoke to David Manica, president and owner of MANICA Architecture, to get the lowdown on the design of the Raiders’ new $1.9bn (£1.47bn/€1.61bn) home.
