The worlds of online casino gaming and sports have always had a mutual connection. Since betting was invented, it has always been about sports. Whether people are playing football, horse racing, fighting, or anything you can count as a sport, gambling has always been involved. It is naturally embedded into our systems. In fact, if you find two people arguing, you start betting with your friends about who would win if the two fought.
Now, when it comes to a professional level, the gambling industry has had a good symbiotic relationship with sports, one of them being mixed martial arts (MMA). You see, MMA events are very exciting, with a variety of fighting styles, and casinos know how to take advantage of them. In fact, if you visit a site like livescore.com you’ll find some of the best casinos that offer MMA-themed games or sports betting experiences.
But let’s look more into detail how these two industries have joined to offer mutual support to each other.
Sponsorships and partnerships
Different MMA leagues have been partnering with the casino industry to bring exciting events to fans. For example, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) entered a partnership with one of the top US online casino platforms to become its official sports betting and online casino partner.
In January 2025, the PFL joined hands with Cloudbet for a multi-year partnership that would allow crypto-powered betting to take over PFL. According to Bellator, this partnership would bring a whole new form of engagement between MMA fans and crypto sports betting.
Another major partnership is that of UFC and NetBet. This collaboration kicked off in March 2025 with the UFC fight between Edwards and Brady at London’s O2 arena. The main aim of this collaboration was to expand the presence of UFC into the European markets. During the launch, TKO’s Senior VP, Nicholas Smith, said that it was great that the UFC was bringing in such a reputable betting partner who already has a strong and established UFC fanbase.
What these partnerships do is that they help increase the influence of one party in a new market. For instance, some of the best casinos have a huge following in markets where MMA leagues do not have dominance. So, by sponsoring MMA fights in these markets, they start generating more followers in the league. In the same way, during major fights, the UFC will announce its sponsors or showcase them during commercials, opening many US online casino platforms to more fans.
Expanding betting options
MMA has been diversifying the betting market by coming up with unique betting options. Unlike traditionally, where you could only bet on who will win, today, the best casinos offer multiple options. They include:
- Head-to-head: The easiest type of bet where you win on who will win the match. Most of the fights end in a victory, with a very small percentage ending up in a draw or no contest.
- Method of victory: Punters must predict who the winner is and how they will win. Is it through KO, submission or decision?
- Double chance: Here, the punter predicts who wins and then has two chances to predict the winning method.
- Will the fight go the distance?: Punter predicts whether the fight will go to a decision or will end early because of a submission or KO
- Total rounds: Bettor must predict whether the fight will go over or under a certain time.
By considering all this diversity, you see that online casinos and betting platforms are able to gain more revenue from ecstatic gamblers.
In addition to diversity, fight nights always expand the betting activity on different platforms. This is normally true for both online and on-site betting activities. For instance, UFC 229 (Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov) is one of the fights that attracted so many fans and bettors at the same time. The bigger the fight, the better it is for betting companies.
Revenue for event hosting
Some of the biggest fights always happen in casinos. In fact, Las Vegas still holds the title of Fight Capital of the World, and no one can dispute that. You see, a few years ago, casino operators realized that if they could host championship matches, then they would be able to attract many high rollers to their premises. Before the fights, these punters will fill the gambling halls, and after the fights, they will come back flooding.
Some casinos that are known for hosting and showing major fight nights include:
- MGM Grand
- Westgate Las Vegas
- Caesars Palace
- UFC Apex
- MotrCity Casino Hotel
- Grand Casino Hinckley
Wynn Las Vegas
The first things that bring revenue are ticket sales and gate revenue. These venues sell thousands of tickets during this night, a portion of which goes to the hosting casino. For example, the 2017 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor was so big it generated 4.3 million domestic PPV buys and over $600 million in total revenue. You can imagine how much the hosts gained from such a fight.
Another thing bringing in revenues is hotel room bookings. Since fight nights attract many visitors from outside the town, they need to lodge somewhere, and that’s where casinos come in. During this time, premium suites and packages are sold at inflated rates, especially to guests and high rollers.
In conclusion
As we wrap this up, it is quite clear that there is a symbiotic relationship between combat sports and the casino industry. You can be sure that this relationship will continue to grow in the coming years as the market continues to expand for both sectors.
