NHL's Florida Panthers sign multi-year partnership with Hard Rock Bet

The NHL's Florida Panthers announced Tuesday a multi-year partnership with Hard Rock's sports betting division. Under the terms of the deal, both parties will collaborate to engage Hard Rock Digital customers on the Hard Rock Bet sports betting platform and in person at Amerant Bank Arena, the hockey team's home. 

This marks the first partnership in this category for the Panthers. The deal officially launched on Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators with on-site activations, digitally enhanced dasher boards, marquee signage, and digital branding. 

Starting with the 2024-25 season, additional enhancements will be unveiled to further engage fans on-site and online, according to a press release.

“We are thrilled to enter into an exciting new partnership with Hard Rock Bet,” said Florida Panthers Chief Revenue Officer Shawn Thornton. “Through this partnership, we will increase fan engagement and excitement around the game of hockey in South Florida and beyond by adding an entirely new element to the game.”

Our first partnership in this category, we've agreed to a multi-year partnership with @HardRockBet!

— x - Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 9, 2024

“We’re excited to join Panthers Territory and partner with the club to bring hockey fans closer to the action,” said Nick Menas, Hard Rock Digital’s Managing Director, Corporate Strategy. “With thousands of bets available on sports from around the world and live streaming of NHL games nightly on the Hard Rock Bet app, we’re thrilled to entertain hockey fans like no one else can.”

Hard Rock Bet holds the status of Florida’s only legal sportsbook, owing to a partnership between the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida. The sportsbook features pre-game and live wagering, plus same game parlays, and over 20 other sports from around the world.

The Hard Rock Bet app is available for download in the App Store and Play Store, and a web sportsbook can be accessed at HardRock.bet. In-person sports betting is also available at Seminole Hard Rock Casinos and Seminole Casinos in Florida.

Compact money channeled to environmental projects

Earlier in the month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill redirecting substantial revenues from the state's gambling pact with the Seminole Tribe toward land preservation, wildlife protection and waterway conservation projects.

Speaking at the headquarters of the South Florida Water Management District in Broward County, DeSantis emphasized the significance of the measure, highlighting its potential impact on the state's restoration initiatives.

"The compact is in place, and we’re getting revenue share, and that’s good," DeSantis stated during the press conference. "So what are we going to do with that? We are going to dedicate the bulk of the revenue to these restoration programs. So we are looking at about $750 million a year to the state just from the Seminole Tribe gaming compact. That’s a lot of resources."