BetMGM is now officially taking charge of MGM Resorts International’s racebook and sportsbook operations at its physical casinos throughout the United States.
Essentially, what is happening is that BetMGM will serve as a “key employee” for MGM’s sportsbooks and will assume certain high-level responsibilities at those locations. BetMGM is a 5050 partnership formed 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.
In connection with its management of MGM racebooks and sportsbooks, BetMGM will implement the house rules established by the different gaming venues.
Most Recent in Series of BetMGM Actions
BetMGM has referred to 2024 as “a year of investment,” and the announcement that it is spearheading MGM’s physical sportsbooks is the newest development in a recent wave of activity at the iGaming and sports betting company.
At the beginning of this month, BetMGM revealed the appointment of Casey Hurbis as the chief marketing officer. He formerly served in the same position at Rocket Mortgage and possesses over twenty years of experience in the automotive sector.
“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 simplified its digital rewards program, allowing bettors to see their earned loyalty points in one wallet instead of navigating through multiple state-specific wallets.
In August, BetMGM announced that the digital wallets utilized by bettors became transferable between states. Clients who register for a BetMGM account in Las Vegas can now utilize that same account in other states where the operator provides iGaming and sports betting services. The firm is the pioneer in the gaming industry to utilize that synergy.
Additional BetMGM Insights
The connections between BetMGM and MGM have been clear for a long time, and several of the casino operator's physical sportsbooks already feature BetMGM branding, suggesting that the transition to BetMGM managing those locations was more about “when” rather than “if.”
Long-standing rumors have circulated about MGM's desire to gain control of the entire iGaming/sports betting division, and this speculation intensified earlier this year when activist investors advocated for changes at Entain. CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen mentioned that joint ventures aren't permanent, yet MGM hasn’t publicly expressed a desire to acquire Entain’s share of BetMGM, nor has the UK-based firm indicated it's looking to sell that stake.
In terms of daily operations at MGM sportsbooks, BetMGM is in charge, yet if major problems arise, an executive from each casino will make decisions on addressing those issues, and that individual will be an MGM employee, not from BetMGM.
