Partnership will honor the Globetrotters’ 100th anniversary in 2026
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 4, 2025) – The World-Famous Harlem Globetrotters – the originators of basketball style – have struck a licensing deal with EQL Games to launch a special lottery program in honor of the brand’s 100th Anniversary in 2026. This marks the Globetrotters’ first lottery collaboration, with the brand prominently featured on a wide range of products, including instant scratch tickets, pull tabs, draw-based games, Fast Play, iLottery games, second-chance experiences, and Keno.
“We are excited to bring the team’s history of fun and enjoyment to lottery players while elevating the fan experience and allowing them to engage with the Globetrotters like never before."
Facilitated by Globetrotters’ exclusive licensing agency, IMG Licensing, the collaboration offers another way in which the Harlem Globetrotters are reaching a broad audience. The Harlem Globetrotters x EQL Games products will be available in select states nationwide, with prizes that include VIP experiences with the Globetrotters.
“Partnering with the Harlem Globetrotters is an exciting new chapter for EQL Games,” said Brad Cummings, CEO of EQL Games. “We are excited to bring the team’s history of fun and enjoyment to lottery players while elevating the fan experience and allowing them to engage with the Globetrotters like never before. We’re proud to work with such an iconic brand, especially during such an important milestone.”
“As we quickly approach our 100th anniversary in 2026, our licensing partnership with EQL Games allows us to expand the ways in which we reach our audience, develop new fan engagement opportunities and drive revenue streams beyond our live tour,” said Keith Dawkins, President, Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios. “EQL boasts an impressive list of partners across the sports landscape. We are thrilled to join that list as we approach our important centennial milestone.”
Founded in 1926, the Harlem Globetrotters have entertained millions across the world with their unparalleled basketball skills and comedic flair. They continue to grow their global fanbase with an evolved business approach centered around reaching audiences wherever they are. This is includes a robust live tour that spans 400 cities around the globe, at home with content on every screen, at retail locations around the world and in the community with a powerful CSR initiative. This new partnership with EQL Games represents an exciting chapter in their legacy, offering fans new and exciting ways to connect with the team.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, EQL Games is a leading innovator in the lottery industry, offering licensed brands, technology, and game content for both retail and digital verticals. Other brands represented by EQL Games include Team USA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which was featured in multiple lottery markets across the country in 2024. The company also enjoys a growing iLottery presence both domestically and internationally.
About the World-Famous Harlem Globetrotters / Herschend Entertainment Studios
The Harlem Globetrotters® are THE originators of basketball style; captured by their dynamic athleticism, unique skill and historical influence on the modern game of basketball. Since 1926, the Globetrotters, proud members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, have used their legendary global tour to showcase their iconic brand of basketball to tens of millions in over 124 countries and territories across six continents.
Their series, “Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward,” produced in partnership with Hearst Media Production Group, airs on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo as “Harlem Globetrotters: Ganando Con La Comunidad.” The hit series, which reaches a million viewers each week, has garnered two Emmy nominations and put the brand back on network television for the first time in 40 years.
In addition to Hearst, other media partners include Hidden Pictures, Atmosphere TV, Reach TV, and Viral Nation. The brand continues to grow its roster of partners with expansion across a variety of categories including, consumer products, retail, travel, QSR/Food, just to name a few. Additional partnerships include, Sprayground, Undercrwn, Macys, Hybrid, Hoop Culture, Citi, Alaska Airlines, as well as our official ball partner, Spalding and our official tour partner, Jersey Mikes.
Coined by the U.S. State Department in 1951 as Ambassadors of Goodwill, the team leverages their moniker to drive its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts around their strategic pillars of Health & Wellness, Education, and Community Empowerment. These efforts have yielded partnership with the likes of Microsoft, U.S. State Department Sports Diplomacy, The National Archives Foundation, ‘Great Assist’ in partnership with Jersey Mike’s Subs, Campus Multimedia Court of Creativity, and Comic Relief Red Nose Day.
For more information about the Harlem Globetrotters and the Tour, visit the Globetrotters’ official website: www.harlemglobetrotters.com. The Harlem Globetrotters® is a subsidiary of Herschend Enterprises, the largest family-owned themed attractions company.
About EQL Games
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, EQL Games is a leading innovator in the lottery industry, offering licensed brands, technology, and game content for both retail and digital verticals. Other brands represented by EQL Games include Team USA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which was featured in multiple lottery markets across the country in 2024. The company also enjoys a growing iLottery presence both domestically and internationally.
About IMG
IMG is a global sports, events and representation company. It is a leader in rights management, multi-channel content production and distribution, consultancy and fan engagement; owns, produces and commercially represents hundreds of live events and experiences; and manages licensing programs for the world’s best-known brands and trademarks. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.
For more information, contact Jim Acton at jim@eqlgames.com or 770-366-9582.