NBA's first Paris game: How French government stands to score
French-owned ParionsSport is an NBA betting partner and has 27,000 locations
The NBA’s first regular-season game in France on Friday is closely connected to the country’s government-owned betting authority.
ParionsSport is an associate corporate partner for the NBA Paris Game 2020, an international clash between the Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks at AccorHotels Arena in Paris. ParionsSport is the sports betting arm of Française des Jeux, the state-owned operator of France’s national lotteries.
ParionsSport is offering NBA betting at roughly 27,000 physical locations throughout France And as the owner of Française des Jeux, which translates to “The French Company of Games,” the French government stands to profit from bets placed on NBA games throughout the country.
The NBA first announced its deal with ParionsSport for the Paris game last November, roughly one year after the league named Française des Jeux as one of its first official sports betting partners. The deal allowed Française des Jeux to use NBA’s official league data and branding on both physical and mobile sportsbooks.
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“Partnering with the NBA, the most prestigious basketball league in the world, will allow ParionsSport to get even closer to the action and offer a more refined gaming experience for gamers enabling us to reach yet more fans,” Richard Courtois, Française des Jeux’s head of gaming operations, said in a statement at the time.
ParionsSport’s efforts for the NBA’s regular-season debut in France will include VIP access to the game, meet-and-greets with NBA legends and other prizes available for customers to win, according to a press release. The NBA Paris Game has been sold out for several months.
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Aside from its deal with Française des Jeux, the NBA has gambling partnerships with several U.S. operators, including MGM Resorts, FOX Bet, FanDuel and William Hill. Sports betting is legal in 20 states throughout the United States.
The NBA has played 10 preseason games in France to date. The upcoming regular-season game will air live in France on BeIN Sports, which is also serving as title sponsors. Other corporate partners include Nike, Beats and Tissot.
“Our NBA Paris Game will showcase the continued global growth of basketball in one of the world’s greatest cities,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “With France leading a record number of players from Europe in the league, we look forward to bringing together basketball fans from across the continent for the NBA’s first regular-season game in Paris.”