BetMGM and The Athletic Announce Sports Betting Partnership

Article ByStan Fox

February 2, 2021

Spread the Word:

Posted in: US Sports Betting News

BetMGM signed a deal on Thursday with The Athletic to become its exclusive sports betting partner in the United States. Under the deal, the California-based sports site will create Athletic Betting Hub, a dedicated betting vertical. The agreement will also include further in-depth content product integrations between the two entities.

The combination will also offer digital sports betting content with integrated live odds and offers from BetMGM, a joint venture of Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International and the UK group, Entain (formerly known as GVC Holdings). This includes betting analysis and original reporting across its written, audio, and video platforms. The online sports betting company and the subscription-based sports website will also unite on digital and social platforms to create a fascinating betting experience for sports fans.

The Athletic’s General Manager of Content Operations, Evan Parker, said that the sports site shares a joint vision for both companies through the new venture. While hailing the BetMGM as a pioneer in the digital gaming industry, Parker said The Athletic seeks to establish itself as a home for great betting content, realizing that “there would be no better partner.” He added that both the entities share a joint vision for how to effortlessly blend media, analysis, and betting into one-of-its-kind, premium experiences for the Athletic subscribers.

Who is The Athletic?

The Athletic is a subscription-based online sports website. With more than a million subscribers scattered across the world, mainly in the US, Canada, and the UK, The Athletic’s readers have access to coverage of almost 300 professional sports and collegiate teams and clubs in the three countries mentioned above. As many as 400 full-time writers comprise the sports website’s editorial team, which has disseminated thousands of articles, besides contributing to more than 100 podcasts. Recently, the subscription-based company launched a major hiring spree for sports betting roles in December.

BetMGM is excited about the loyal readership that The Athletic boasts, and which the digital sports betting company looks like the potential clients. “The Athletic has an incredibly engaged and loyal readership,” said Matt Prevost, BetMGM Chief Revenue Officer, in a press release. “We look forward to introducing their readers  to the BetMGM sports betting brand.” Prevost further said that through integrations and collaboration, the BetMGM deal complements the Athletic’s premium offering.

Launched in January 2016, The Athletic recently celebrated its fifth anniversary as it continues to grow despite the last year’s pandemic-led layoffs.

Another Acquisition Channel for BetMGM

For BetMGM, whose mobile app is already live in ten states, the deal adds yet another acquisition channel, alongside MGM’s MLife rewards scheme and Yahoo Sports. According to Entain, BetMGM’s co-parent, the Yahoo deal is paying dividends as the Sunnyvale-based web services company is now the brand’s largest affiliate. BetMGM also expects to decrease acquisition costs from roughly $500 per player to $250 over the next two years, thanks to these deals.

BetMGM went live in Virginia and Michigan earlier this week, and is quickly becoming one of the most formiddable players in the US.