BetMGM Takes the Lead at MGM Sportsbooks

Posted on: December 30, 2024, 04:48h. 

Last updated on: December 30, 2024, 04:48h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

BetMGM is officially taking over as the operator of MGM Resorts International’s racebook and sportsbook operations at its land-based casinos across the US.

Entain
The BetMGM sportsbook at Park MGM Las Vegas. BetMGM will takeover as operator of MGM’s retail sportsbooks. (Image: VegasChanges)

Essentially what’s taking place is that BetMGM will become a “key employee” of MGM’s sportsbooks and will take on some high-level tasks at those venues. BetMGM is a 505/50 joint venture between the casino giant and Entain Plc.

The expectation is that BetMGM will have certain high-level functions, including trading, customer service, risk and fraud, marketing, and payments. As the employer, MGM be responsible for oversight and policy direction,” said BetMGM attorney Scott Scherer to CDC Gaming.

Related to its taking of the reins at MGM racebooks and sportsbooks, BetMGM will enforce the house rules laid out by the various gaming properties.

Latest in Series of BetMGM Moves

BetMGM previously dubbed 2024 as “a year of investment” and news that it’s taking the lead at MGM’s brick-and-mortar sportsbooks is the latest in a recent flurry of activity at the iGaming and sports betting operator.

Earlier this month, BetMGM announced the hiring of Casey Hurbis as chief marketing officer. He previously held the same role at Rocket Mortgage and has more than two decades of experience in the automotive industry.

“Hurbis and BetMGM’s creative agency of record, Highdive, previously collaborated on three top-ranked Super Bowl campaigns at Rocket Mortgage, laying the foundation for even greater synergies and success at BetMGM,” according to a press release.

Last month, BetMGM streamlined its digital rewards program, ensuring bettors can view their accrued loyalty points in a single wallet instead of having to sift through various state-specific wallets.

In August, BetMGM said the digital wallets used by bettors were made transferrable across state lines. Now, clients who sign up for a BetMGM account in Las Vegas can use the same account in the other states in which the operator offers iGaming and sports wagering services. The company is the first in the gaming space to employ that synergy.

More BetMGM Tidbits

The links between BetMGM and MGM have long been obvious and some of the casino operator’s retail sportsbooks already sport BetMGM branding, indicating the move to BetMGM running those venues was more a matter of “when” not “if.”

There have also been long-running rumors regarding MGM wanting to control all of the iGaming/sports betting unit and that speculation was heightened earlier this year as activist investors pushed for change at Entain. CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen said joint ventures don’t last forever, but MGM hasn’t publicly declared an intent to buy Entain out of BetMGM nor has the UK-based company said it’s shopping that stake.

As for day-to-day operations at MGM sportsbooks, BetMGM takes the lead, but if significant issues pop up, decisions on how to handle those situations will be made by an executive at each casino and that person will be an employee of MGM, not BetMGM.