Sports betting is now legal in the state of Washington, and one casino is looking to make a big splash. The Northern Quest Resort & Casino is turning its attention to one of the top college basketball players to help bring some attention.
Northern Quest has inked a deal with Drew Timme of the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a Name, Image, and Likeness deal. The Gonzaga Bulldogs call Spokane, Washington home, but they have turned into a
national power.
Timme is the betting favorite to win the Naismith Award, given out to the best college basketball player each season. Timme had odds set at +500, which was slightly ahead of Kofi Cockburn (+800) and Paolo Banchero (+1000).
According to the announcement of the deal, Northern Quest has been a supporter of Gonzaga basketball for a long time. This partnership should strengthen that relationship while also putting some cash in Timme’s pocket.
Washington does not have a large sports betting market, but that could be changing as the calendar flips to 2022.
Northern Quest Hasn’t Launched
Northern Quest initially planned to launch sports betting at some point in October, but that has since been pushed back. Now the casino is hoping to launch the sportsbook by the end of November, and things are aligning to make that happen.
Anyone wishing to bet at Northern Quest will have to step inside of the casino initially, but that won’t always be the case. The company has announced that it also plans to launch a mobile app that can be used from anywhere on the property.
The mobile app is not going to be available until some point in 2022.
MaximBet Partnering With Women
MaximBet was the first sportsbook to announce a NIL deal with college athletes, but that sportsbook was only opening the offer up to women. The offer was for female athletes in the state of Colorado and was open to athletes at all three levels of competition.
The sports betting industry and college athletics has started to mix over the last few months, and there was no rule in place prohibiting this offer from MaximBet. Female athletes that were interested in applying for a potential deal were to reach out to MaximBet via some form of social media.
Gonzaga a Title Favorite
The Gonzaga Bulldogs were one of the best college basketball teams in the country a season ago, but they came up just short in the National Championship game. Gonzaga has another loaded roster and is once again the clear betting favorite to win the title.
Oddsmakers have Gonzaga as low at +550 to cut down the nets this season, but there is a pretty strong list behind them. Michigan (+800) and UCLA (+1000) are seen as two of the biggest threats, but they aren’t alone.
The Bulldogs do have a tougher regular season schedule than in years past, but they should find themselves as a number 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
