- Deal gets approval from Louisiana legislature
- Partnership reportedly worth as US$11m a year
The home of the National Football League's (NFL) New Orleans Saints will be renamed as the Caesars Superdome in a US$138 million naming rights deal with the US gambling giant after the proposal was signed off by Louisiana state officials.
According to the Sports Business Journal, the deal could be worth as much as US$100 million more than the partnership seen by state lawmakers as that is not 'the whole package', the report says US$11 million per year is closer to the actual fee the Saints will receive.
The venue was previously known as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome under a ten-year deal with the German car manufacturer that was reportedly worth between US$50 million and US$60 million.
Having agreed to a 27-year, $324 million deal for the naming rights at the Atlanta Falcons’ new stadium that went live in 2016, Mercedes opted against extending its contract for the Superdome and allowed it to expire on 15th July.
The Saints will receive all the proceeds from the Caesars deal having assumed control of naming rights negotiations in 2009 as part of their 15-year lease contract with the state. That agreement sees naming rights revenues used to offset the subsidies Louisiana is contractually obligated to pay the NFL team.
The income from the Caesars agreement will contribute towards the stadium’s ongoing US$450 million renovation project.
One of the most famous sports venues in the US, the stadium first opened as the ‘Louisiana Superdome’ in 1975 and has hosted seven Super Bowls and welcomes the NFL showpiece again in 2025. The venue also regularly hosts high school football and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) events.
The agreement has yet to be officially confirmed, but Bodi White, a Louisiana senator who leads the joint budget committee which approved the deal, has referred to the renaming as a “done deal”.
Coming amid the ongoing rollback of federal gambling regulations, the Caesars partnership means the Saints will become the first NFL’s franchise to play in a stadium named after a betting brand. When Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, was named in 2016, the franchise was not allowed to make any references to gambling in the naming agreement.
The New Orleans Saints will be renamed the Caesars Superdome in a US$138 million naming rights deal
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