Sports betting platform and app BetMGM, a Roar Digital’s product, has entered WV on time for Super Bowl 54. Time will tell if the company has managed to seal a fair chunk of the total handle.
BetMGM Entered WV in Time for Super Bowl LIV
With the Super Bowl now over, some 26 million Americans bet on the 54th edition of the event, and a total of $7 billion was wagered on the grand finale of the NFL season. Therefore, it’s no surprise that so many sportsbooks and casinos hurried up to set-up shop even days before the event took place.
BetMGM was among one of the late bloomers who pounced at the opportunity to set up its mobile sports betting in West Virginia. Drawing from the expertise of MGM Resorts and GVC Holdings and their subsidiary Roar Digital which is in charge of BetMGM, the company managed to set up operations on time with The Greenbrier, a local casino.
While it’s early to tell what the results for BetMGM were, the company will have to prepare for tougher competition in the months ahead. DraftKings and FanDuel were also part of the competitive landscape this month.
We will need to wait until the WV Lottery releases the officials figures to see how the handle was affected by the Super Bowl in February.
Facing Tougher Competition in the Following Months.
Delaware North has been caught in a dispute with one of its tech providers and has been in the process of switching suppliers.
An agreement with IGT and Genius Sports will now guarantee that for the company’s WV sportsbook. Yet, BetMGM should have captured a fair chunk of the betting bonanza that is usually part of the Super Bowl.
Even though March Madness, the next huge event in the U.S., might go in a slightly more competitive environment, the company should have gained sufficient foothold to stand tall as a recognizable and viable betting choice.
In the meantime, there are more events American bettors like, to name Daytona 500 and the fight between Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder.
Expanding Beyond West Virginia
Far more importantly, BetMGM will not just rely on West Virginia, which is a fairly small state with a limited betting population. Instead, the company is moving on other popular markets, to name Indiana and Nevada and specifically ahead of March Madness, which will be the next big source of total betting handle.
A quick expansion across the country is not necessarily a sign of the desired results. In New Jersey, GVC CEO Kenny Alexander has expressed a subdued message that the company still needs to put in the work to make its product desirable – or at the very least more frequent.
A recent deal with Yahoo has helped integrate odds from BetMGM into Yahoo Sports, which will hopefully improve the overall exposure and desirability of the platform in Nevada and beyond.