In most countries around the world, professional sport and gambling have gone hand in hand – in some form or another – for centuries.

That relationship has only grown more prominent over recent generations as both industries experienced enormously lucrative booms.

Just take a look at the plethora of gambling sponsorship deals within professional soccer. Of the 20 clubs in England’s Premier League, 10 have gambling companies as their primary shirt sponsors. In Spain’s La Liga, eight of the 20 clubs are sponsored by gambling operators. Meanwhile, every major club has an official gaming partner and advertising is brandished around digital billboards on match days.

The presence of gambling sponsorship is prevalent across any number of other sports, including horse racing, athletics, cricket, tennis, motorsport, and even esports.

However, until recently, major sports leagues and teams in the United States had been prohibited from engaging in sponsorships with gambling companies due to the federal restrictions placed across the nation, with the notable exception of Las Vegas.

That started to change after a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 allowed states to dictate their own laws on sportsbooks and 16 states have now legalized sportsbooks.

Recognizing the financial benefits of seeking partnerships with gambling operators, three of the US’s Big Four sports leagues landed official gaming partners. The NBA and NHL have partnered with William Hill, while the MLB and FanDuel signed a multi-year agreement.

The NFL has so far not followed suit, but the organisation has allowed franchises to land their own sportsbook partnerships, with the likes of the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks all landing gaming partners.

Now, in the latest sign of the changing times, the Detroit Tigers have become the first MLB franchise to announce a partnership with a sportsbook company.

The Tigers announced last week that they were partnering with PointsBet – a sportsbook operator founded in Australia that expanded into the United States in 2019 following the Supreme Court ruling.

The Detroit franchise said the deal has been made possible due to an agreement between PointsBet and the MLB which designated the sportsbook as an official gaming provider for the league, allowing them usage of MLB data and logos.

As part of the agreement, PointsBet will have advertising around the Tigers’ Comercia Park stadium, get mentions on the club radio, and feature prominently on the MLB Ballpark App.

“Our great fans will enjoy the unique experiences and innovative offerings that PointsBet’s personalized platform provides,” said Chris Granger, a group president for Ilitch Holdings, in a release announcing the partnership.

“As we usher in legal and responsible sports betting, we look forward to the fan-friendly enhancements that it will make to the game-day experience in and around Comerica Park.”

While the Tigers are the first MLB franchise to complete such a deal with a sportsbook, many more are expected to follow.

The marketing around the Tigers deal with PointsBet has understandably focused on the baseball betting possibilities offered to fans, with PointsBet CEO Johnny Aitken telling ESPN: “I view baseball as arguably the most disruptable sport when it comes to innovation around betting.

“I think there’s a huge amount of innovation that can happen around baseball betting. “Even if you join the broadcast in the seventh inning, and the Tigers are winning 6-0 over the Red Sox, there’s still an exciting way to place some action for the remainder of the game.”

However, PointsBet members will not be limited to betting on MLB Odds 2020 games and will have access to the latest NBA odds, horse racing odds, and any other number of sports and events.

Not only is this shift a reflection of the growing acceptance of sportsbooks in the United States, but also an indicator of the importance of obtaining new revenue streams at a time when the economics of professional sport in the United States have taken a massive hit due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Originally slated to begin in March, the MLB season will not get underway until the end of July and has been reduced to 60 games – more than 100 games less than a normal season. Even when the season does start, it is likely to be without fans, thus further hitting the clubs financially.

The gradual arrival of sportsbooks and gambling operators in the MLB and other American sports has therefore come at a vital time from a financial standpoint.

In turn, sportsbook operators are likely to see immediate benefits, with fans made to stay at home. This makes them more likely to place wagers to replace the absence of excitement of attending live games.