NFL Scores Touchdown Down Under With Tabcorp Official Wagering Partnership

Posted on: September 20, 2019, 08:55h. 

Last updated on: September 20, 2019, 10:42h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The National Football League (NFL) and Australian gaming giant Tabcorp are teaming up to deliver sports betting and various free-to-play games on American professional football to fans Down Under.

NFL odds Australia sports betting
Philadelphia Eagles punter Cameron Johnston, an Aussie native, has been playing in the NFL since 2017. (Image: Getty)

In a press release, the NFL says Tabcorp will become an “Official Wagering Partner” of the league. Tabcorp will “bring NFL programming and experiences to fans in Australia” through its TAB sports betting brand.

Tabcorp’s TAB is the country’s largest sports betting shop, offering mobile odds and retail land-based sportsbook shops throughout Australia.

The Tabcorp deal is the NFL’s first sports betting partnership in Australia.

Growing Popularity

For a country known for its love of cricket, swimming, soccer, rugby, and tennis, the NFL reaching a sports betting deal with Tabcorp might seem inconsequential. The fact that most NFL games are played when Aussies are heading to work on Monday morning also doesn’t help.

However, American professional football is increasing in popularity Down Under.

Government-owned ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) recently published an article titled, “Why Australians Are Falling in Love With American Football.”

In the report, ABC News says Aussies are progressively becoming more infatuated with the American sport because they’re familiar with the game, and the NFL is being more widely broadcast throughout Australia. Hollywood celebrities such as Aussie Chris Hemsworth appearing in Super Bowl ads have also raised the NFL’s profile.

Most Australians know the game because of the familiarity of American culture through films and television. And now the NFL is widely broadcast in Australia. You can watch live games and replay packages on television channels, on the NFL’s own streaming platform, or on social media and e-commerce sites,” the ABC News report explained.

Under the NFL and Tabcorp arrangement, the latter company’s Sky Racing television station will broadcast the NFL Network, as well as six hours of NFL RedZone programming during Sunday games.

“Our goal is to support the growing appetite for the NFL in Australia,” explained Adam Rytenskild, Tabcorp managing director of wagering and media. “This gives fans more value in line with our strategy of using our assets to create unique experiences for customers.”

The majority of Australians in the NFL are kickers because of the country’s passion of rugby.

NFL Betting

The NFL was strongly opposed to the US Supreme Court overturning the long-standing federal ban on sports betting that had limited the gambling activity everywhere but Nevada. But in the wake of the historic May 2018 decision, the league is slowly embracing sports betting.

Though NFL teams and stadiums remain barred from allowing advertising specific to sports betting, they can partner with casino operators that are invested in gambling on sports. The NFL inked a deal with Sportsradar to distribute its official real-time, play-by-play data to licensed sports betting operators in the US and abroad.

The league is additionally backing a “free pick’em contest” that’s being incorporated into NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast. The free game allows players to win real cash prizes. “Sunday Night 7,” as the game is called, will be offered in Australia as part of the Tabcorp deal.