By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
We all knew sports gambling would be coming to Las Vegas Lights games. LVSportsBiz.com broke a story back in October about Lights owner Brett Lashbrook’s aspirations about making the soccer club the first team in North America to embrace and celebrate sports betting at his team’s games.
Now we know when it will happen and who the Lights’ gambling partner will be.
William Hill will partner with the first-year United Soccer League team to give fans the chance to bet on Lights games and props like who will score the first goal.
Lashbrook said the betting begins for Saturday’s game when the Lights host the Seattle Sounders FC 2, which is the Triple A club of the Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders.
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All fans who register for a new William Hill Mobile Sports account using the promo code “LIGHTS” will earn a $5 free bet in their account each time the Lights FC wins a match at Cashman Field during the 2018 season if they keep $100 in the account, Lashbrook said.
Fans can activate their Mobile Sports account at William Hill locations throughout Nevada. Requirements for a qualified account include being a new sign-up with an initial deposit amount of at least $100. Exact terms and conditions can be found at www.williamhill.us/Lights/
“We want to be the first team in North America to go to the top of the mountain and scream to our fans to take out their phones and bet on the game happening right in front of their eyes,” Lashbrook told LVSportsBiz.com Wednesday.
Lashbrook said he envisions William Hill, which has deep experience with soccer game betting, as using the Lights as a demonstration example to show how fans can use their app to bet in sports teams.
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the ban on sports gambling was a major win for William Hill, which runs 108 race and sports books in Nevada and has a leading mobile sports betting app. It’s also the exclusive risk manager for Delaware’s sports lottery.
Founded in 1934, William Hill is the world’s leading bookmaker with 2,400 betting shops. The SCOTUS decision can potentially open up many other U.S. states for William Hill sports gambling business and growth.
In a press release, William Hill U.S. Chief Executive Officer Joe Asher said, “We are excited to partner with Lights FC. Las Vegas is truly a sports destination, and the Lights FC have been a great addition to the city.”
The Lights FC (3-4-4, 13 points) return to action Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on the road with the first of three 2018 meetings with Phoenix Rising FC (7-3-4, 25 points).
LVSportsBiz.com will return to Cashman Field Saturday for the Lights-Seattle match.
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