Australian and US sports betting operator PointsBet has entered into a five-year sponsorship deal with Learfield IMG College, the media rights holder of University of Colorado Athletics.

PointsBet will serve as a partner of the Colorado Buffaloes, marking one of the first deals between a sports betting operator and a major NCAA Division-I Athletics Program.   

The five-year deal provides a financial boost for CU Athletics during a time when athletic department budgets nationwide have been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and includes specific support for the department’s Scripps Leadership and Career Development Program, which helps prepare student-athletes for success beyond their playing days.

The partnership will give PointsBet visibility at Folsom Field and the CU Events Center through gameday promotions and advertising space, as well as placement on radio broadcasts of CU games and other media channels.

“We’re thrilled to have PointsBet as a partner and for the benefits this sponsorship will provide for our student-athletes for years to come,” said CU Athletic director Rick George. “We are impressed with their commitment to raising awareness around responsible gaming. And we’re particularly excited whenever we can partner with sponsors who call Colorado home.”

PointsBet recently began construction of a new North American headquarters in downtown Denver, and is committed to recruiting employees from the deep pool of tech talent located along the Front Range, including CU Boulder tech graduates.

“As a tech company at heart that is proud to call the state of Colorado home, we are thrilled to announce this partnership as part of our ongoing quest to become synonymous with Colorado sports betting,” said PointsBet USA chief executive Johnny Aitken. “Since announcing our plans for a new headquarters in Denver, we’ve consistently stated our desire to work closely with the state’s first-class university system and rich pool of tech talent. 

“It is an honor to become a partner of the Colorado Buffaloes, where we look forward to bolstering general sports betting knowledge and responsible gaming awareness while recruiting some of the best and brightest minds to help install a foundation for prolonged success.”

The Colorado Buffaloes partnership adds to PointsBet’s recently announced sponsorship deals with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment making PointsBet the official and exclusive partner of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, as well as the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth and their home arena, Pepsi Center.

Shares in Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX:PBH) closed 5.04 per cent lower at AUD$10.92 per share in Sydney Friday.