The District of Columbia City Council received a proposal from New York-based online gambling company EmpirePoker.com late last week, offering to provide up to $500 million in stadium financing in exchange for stadium naming rights and the right to place Internet kiosks in the ballpark to allow people to use their Web site.
EmpirePoker.com is no newcomer to sports tie-ins. It was a sponsor of the 2003 World Pool Championships, sponsors PGA golfer Greg Owen, and has a partnership in England with the Greyhound Racing Association.
However, MLB has a strict anti-gambling policy among its employees, owners and players, but teams are permitted to have casinos as sponsors.
Calls to EmpirePoker.com and MLB were not returned.
Nationals VP-sales and marketing David Cope told PROMO that the franchise, which was moved from Montreal at the end of September, had not sold any sponsorships. He had only been on the job for about a month before MLB pulled the plug on the team’s business affairs.
As reported on Promomagazine.com on Thursday, the team has offered refunds on all 16,000 deposits for season tickets. MLB pulled the plug on the shift of the Expos franchise to Washington when the DC Council reneged on the ballpark financing plan.
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