LSU announces multi-year partnership with gambling giant, an SEC first

LSU athletics just announced a groundbreaking, unprecedented partnership in the new age of college football.

According to Ryan Butler of the Action Network, LSU athletics and Caesars announced a multi-year partnership that makes Caesars Sportsbook the exclusive gaming and sportsbook partner of the school’s athletic department.

This is the first gambling-related agreement between an SEC program and sportsbook, but with the popularity and revenue of the conference, it’s safe to expect plenty of other schools to follow LSU’s lead.

What could the LSU athletics deal look like?

Colorado became the first program to take a leap into the world of partnering with gambling companies when it reached an agreement with PointsBet last year.

While the terms of the new LSU deal with Caesers are unknown as of now, Sports Illustrated took a deep dive into the Colorado deal to give at least some kind of insight into how these agreements are structured.

According to SI, the University of Colorado will get at least $1.625 million as part of a five-year advertising agreement with the gambling company, as well as receiving a $30 referral fee for each new gambling customer it sends to PointsBet. That’s according to a copy of the contract between PointsBet and Buffalo Sports Properties LLC, CU’s private fundraising wing, which is listed as the primary provider in the deal. Sports Illustrated obtained a copy of the contract through a public records request.

PointsBet will make quarterly payments to Colorado through June 2026, when the deal expires. The payments, made on the first day of July, October, January and April, escalate each year, starting $76,250 in Year 1 and increasing to $86,250 in Year 5. Annual totals are $305,000 (2021), $315,000 (2022), $325,000 (2023), $335,000 (2024) and $345,000 (2025).

LSU athletics is changing the game. Anyone with an interest in the SEC, college football or gambling should monitor this story all season long. It’s a brave new world, and like the old saying goes, just follow the money.

LSU Athletics gets creative with hype video

LSU football on Thursday released a creative, outside-the-box hype video ahead of its Saturday matchup with Central Michigan, and the Tigers brought in two special guests to narrate: Barstool Sports’ Big Cat and PFT Commenter.

Big Cat and PFT Commenter are the hosts of “Pardon My Take,” a sports podcast presented by Barstool Sports that currently ranks No. 2 in the sports category of Apple Podcasts. The duo has worked with LSU before; shortly after the Tigers capped off their perfect 15-0 season with a national championship victory over Clemson, head coach Ed Orgeron and quarterback Joe Burrow joined the podcast to discuss.

It’s clear LSU is ahead of the game with strategies to keep up with all of the changes in the college football landscape. Now, Tigers fans can only hope the team’s play on the field matches the recent success of the program’s innovative approach.