Gambling contributed a big chunk of sponsorship revenue the National Football League received over the 2021-22 season, which was close to $2 billion.
Sponsorship firm IEG said that the league earned a record $1.8 billion in partnership revenue this season — more than any other professional sports league and a 12% increase over the 2020-21 season. In 2019, the league earned $1.42 billion.
IEG’s report said that gambling sites and technology companies heavily contributed to the record revenues.
“It’s not coming from traditional places,” IEG global managing director Peter Laatz told CNBC. “Not only are we seeing emerging talent on the field; we’re seeing emerging categories.”