Origin Story

You gotta chuckle at BetMGM’s latest tagline: The Sportsbook Born In Vegas. On the surface, it seems ok and kind of makes sense. But even allowing for the fact that most advertising is bullshit, the tagline is laughable.  

BetMGM is the result of an ill-advised joint venture between MGM Resorts and Entain, a UK-based company that’s been operating gambling sites in Europe for quite awhile. When the Supreme Court overturned PASPA, Entain (formerly GVC) found a partner in MGM and the rest is history – but most certainly not Las Vegas history.

BetMGM is run on Entain technology, which was built with the European gambler in mind. Bounce around the app long enough and you’ll see references to things like “baseball matches”, “favourites”, and “USD” (always important for an American business to specify the currency being used for transactions, right?). And perhaps most damaging to the success of BetMGM is the proliferation of Entain staffers throughout the organization, filling roles that would likely be better served by individuals with a stronger understanding of the gamblers, sports fans, culture and traditions in America. 

But beyond the obvious complications of placing an American face on what essentially is a European company, overselling the app’s gambling experience as something comparable to the Las Vegas experience is silly. It doesn’t work for obvious reasons; unless you think gambling in Vegas is akin to punching in bets on your phone at home…say, while you’re on the toilet. 

BetMGM. The Sportsbook Born In Europe.