SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
BetMGM will utilise four media and PR agencies to support the expansion of its UK operations, partnering with Recipe, Boldspace, Tomorrow Advertising and The Media Network.
The MGM Resorts brand launched in the UK in August LeoVegas’ platform – the Swedish igaming group was itself acquired by the Las Vegas conglomerate in 2022 – and has been consolidating its marketing efforts in the months since.
To support further growth, the sportsbook has appointed Recipe as lead strategic creative agency and Boldspace as consumer and corporate PR lead whilst Tomorrow and The Media Network will take on joint responsibility for media planning and buying.
“We’re delighted to have been appointed to manage all digital, OOH and radio advertising for BetMGM UK,” said Justin Brookfield, Director at Tomorrow Advertising.
“For all our years of partnering with some of the biggest names in the gambling industry, this is by far the most exciting brand that we’ve worked with to date.
“We’re looking forward to working with the other agency partners to help build a brand and drive performance in a noisy, cluttered market.”
The announcement of the quadlet of media and PR firms comes shortly after BetMGM announced its first brand campaign for the UK, featuring comedian Chris Rock.
Symbolising the company’s UK landing, the campaign sees ROck travel via speedboat from the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas to the River Thames, with the aim of raising awareness of the brand’s offers and products.
For its part, London-based agency Recipe has helped develop BetMGM’s campaign as well as produce a responsible gambling advert, against the backdrop of increased emphasis on responsible betting in the UK market.
“It’s been a real privilege to support the launch of BetMGM in the UK,” remarked Dan Jacobs, Chief Creative Officer at Recipe.
“From minute one, the ambition from everyone was to stand out in the market. Chris Rock, in a gold boat, with a lion, in the Fountains of Bellagio does exactly that! And we’re just getting started.”
BetMGM originated as a US-facing joint venture between MGM and LSE gambling group Entain, but the brand’s UK platform is a wholly MGM-operated enterprise using the platform from LeoVegas as well as sportsbook solution support from Kambi.
As mentioned above, the newcomer to the British market has tried to hit the ground running regarding its advertising and marketing efforts, having already secured visibility in the Premier League via a deal with Newcastle United.
Sam Behar, UK Director at BetMGM, commented: “We have big ambitions in the UK and needed best-in-class agencies to support us in delivering them, and I’m delighted to be working with Recipe, Boldspace, Tomorrow Advertising, and The Media Network to do just that.
“The launch of BetMGM in the UK is a major moment for us as a brand and the UK market as a whole. We want to give customers something new, leveraging the heritage of MGM Resorts’ best-in-class Las Vegas entertainment with world-leading iGaming experiences to deliver a unique proposition to UK consumers. It’s showtime!”
