The New York Jets have signed a sponsorship agreement with an online casino — and critics claim the tie-up has already begun to promote sports betting improperly.
Woody Johnson’s team in recent weeks signed a sponsorship contract with 888 Holdings, an Israel-based gambling company that operates both an online casino and a sports betting site, sources told The Post.
On Sunday, the fruits of the deal were already on vivid display outside MetLife Stadium, in the form of several three-story-high, bright-orange banners emblazoned with “888.com” — the gambling site operated by 888 Holdings.
The gaudy displays have arrived after the NFL this season reversed a longstanding ban on casino advertising, a move that came in response to the US Supreme Court’s ruling in May that struck down a federal ban on sports betting.
At the same time, NFL rules still forbid the advertising of sports-betting sites with exceptions made for fantasy-sports sites at NFL stadiums and on its broadcasts — a restriction intended to curb the spread of sports gambling among fans, particularly younger ones.
“There are a lot of kids who go to games, and this kind of marketing may have a big impact on them,” Keith Whyte, the executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, told The Post.
“They will become much more inclined to see gambling as being part of the game.”
Sources close to the Jets claim the ads don’t violate league policy because they don’t specifically name 888sport, the company’s sports-betting site.
The 888.com site, they note, also has links to poker and casino portals.
Nevertheless, some insiders said that the “888.com” ads looked dangerously close to flouting the rules.
When one enters the 888.com website, the first thing they see is an image of a football player being tackled and a link to bet on games.
“To me, this crosses the line,” said one source familiar with the sponsorship deal, which is scheduled to be announced later this week.
Officials at the Jets, the NFL and 888.com declined to comment.
America’s sports betting landscape is changing rapidly since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey in its years-long battle against the four major sports leagues — MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL — each formerly hell-bent on stopping sports gambling from expanding essentially beyond Nevada.
This month, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore announced a partnership with the Baltimore Ravens, and WinStar World Casino cut a deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
The NHL, meanwhile, has gone further, announcing a deal Monday to form a sports betting partnership with MGM Resorts.
Locally, the New Jersey Devils have announced that they’re opening a sports betting lounge at the Prudential Center with gambling site William Hill.
This comes months after the NBA announced a gambling partnership with MGM. The NBA allows teams in states where sports betting is legal to take sports betting ads. Presently, that would only include the Philadelphia 76ers.
