The Miami Marlins franchise of Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced Hard Rock Bet, the digital sportsbook and iCasino, as its latest commercial partner.
Centered on the Marlins’ 36,742-capacity LoanDepot Park stadium, the franchise will collaborate with the sportsbook on “exclusive” co-branded promotions, competitions, experiential activations, integrated content across social media and digital platforms, and activations at the venue.
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Eligible Hard Rock Bet customers who visit LoanDepot Park will be able to benefit from exclusive offers and bonus bets activated whenever the team hits a Grand Slam.
In terms of sponsorship inventory, Hard Rock Bet will appear throughout LoanDepot Park, including on outfield digital signage and the ‘MarlinsVision’ videoboard.
Hard Rock Bet will also be integrated across broadcast coverage on MarlinsTV, the team’s new local broadcast offering, presenting live betting odds and promotions during games throughout the season.
Speaking on the announcement, Marlins vice president of partnership development and marketing Robert Gelman said: “As the sports betting landscape continues to evolve, Hard Rock Bet represents foundational innovation and leadership which we are excited to welcome to our Marlins family of partners.
“This partnership will deliver exciting rewards and experiences to Marlins fans and Hard Rock Bet players, along with unique content around the team and our games which fans will want to engage with.”
Hard Rock Bet, which holds the Hard Rock brand under license, is operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and is the only licensed sportsbook in the entire state of Florida, granting it practically a free run at sponsorship inventory for the most prominent sports franchises in the state.
The betting firm is also the official sportsbook of the NBA’s Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Meanwhile, the Seminole Hard Rock organization is a partner of the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, and golf’s annual Valspar Championship, which the PGA Tour stages annually in Florida.
Furthermore, the Hard Rock brand at large is the stadium naming rights sponsor of the Miami Dolphins’ 65,000-capacity home, securing high-level coverage for Hard Rock brands across every one of the state’s most prominent sports teams.
Despite the strong Miami broadcast market and the city’s significant Latin American community (a diaspora from nations where baseball is typically popular), the Marlins have struggled to maintain a strong fanbase throughout their entire history (the franchise was established in 1993).
Indeed, the Marlins are the least valuable franchise per Forbes’s annual valuation estimates in 2026, which placed the team at $1.5 billion, a valuation that includes the 37,446-capacity LoanDepot Park stadium.
The Marlins have occupied the bottom of Forbes' annual valuations rankings for MLB teams since 2019, an eight-year streak that also somewhat reflects the team’s on-field travails.
Despite boasting two World Series wins, most recently in 2003, the Marlins have been back to the playoffs only twice in the 23 years since then (last in 2023), and have been bottom of the National League East division seven times in that span.
At the time of writing, the team sits third out of five in the National League East division, boasting an (perhaps unexpectedly) solid record of 52 wins and 51 losses midway through the 2026 campaign, sitting only 1.5 games behind a Wild Card playoff spot.
