Iowa State's We Will NIL collective receives $300K donation from Elite Casino

The Iowa State-driven We Will NIL Collective is set to receive a major cash contribution.

The NIL entity announced a formal partnership with the Midwest regional gaming operator Elite Casino Resorts on Tuesday. As part of the agreement, Elite Casino is contributing $300,000 to We Will.

The casino will support charitable events featuring Iowa State athletes. Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort and Rhythm City Casino Resort will support activities in partnership with We Will.

“We are excited about our partnership with the We Will Collective and look forward to supporting student-athletes for charitable events at our Iowa resorts,” Elite Casino CEO Dan Kehl said.

This is not the first casino deal with an NIL collective in Iowa. Elite made a $500,000 commitment to the Iowa-centric NIL collective The Swarm Collective. Partnerships with Swarm and We Will are the only prominent partnerships between collectives and the gambling industry to this point.

We Will Collective ‘grateful’ for casino partnership

Iowa doesn’t have a state law regarding NIL, which means college athletes in the state only have to follow the NCAA’s NIL policy.

In early 2023, criminal charges or NCAA suspensions were levied against more than three dozen current and former student-athletes at Iowa and Iowa State, including the Iowa State Cyclones’ 2022 starting quarterback, Hunter Dekkers. He missed the 2023 season and has since enrolled at Iowa Western Community College.

“We are extremely grateful for our partnership with Elite Casino Resorts, which will make a huge impact on our mission of keeping the Cyclones thriving by doing great things in our community,” We Will executive director Brent Blum said. “Elite Casino Resorts is a company run by Iowans that is truly committed to the state of Iowa with their wide-ranging support and they certainly align with our continued aspirations of using NIL for good.”

We Will has tapped into cobranded, NIL-driven drinks in the past. In August 2023, the collective launched Iowa State 1858 Vodka. The logos for both Iowa State and We Will are be on the bottle’s label, as well as Iowa State’s mascot, Cy the Cardinal. We Will also debuted We Will Cold Brew and Ames Lager last summer to drive NIL dollars to athletes.