betmgm's pr strategy for building brand in the us gambling market explained
BetMGM turned a risky, heavily scrutinized US online gambling market into a brand-building win by making responsible gambling a core message instead of a compliance afterthought, disclosing player-safety data before regulators asked for it, and giving executives a public voice. The approach coincided with $1.96 billion in net revenue for 2023, up 36% year over year, and a 14% share of the US sports betting and iGaming market, according to Entain's FY2023 update.
Why was the US online gambling market so risky for a new brand?
The US online gambling market was risky because states legalized online sports betting quickly between 2020 and 2022 and operators spent heavily on customer acquisition. The public saw constant advertising during sporting events, with celebrities, athletes, and influencers promoting betting apps like lifestyle brands.
Critics raised three alarms:
The volume of advertising was overwhelming, especially during sports broadcasts watched by minors.
Many ads focused on "easy money" and risk-free bets, which critics called irresponsible messaging.
Regulators warned about addiction spikes, misleading promotions, and inadequate consumer protection.
In that climate, any misstep could mean public backlash or regulatory restrictions. A new brand like BetMGM could not rely on attention alone. It needed to build trust fast.
What was BetMGM's PR strategy?
BetMGM's PR strategy rested on three priorities: position the brand as trusted rather than flashy, address public and regulatory concerns before they became crises, and embed responsible gambling in the brand's identity instead of only its legal compliance. Six moves carried that strategy.
1. How did partnerships shape the BetMGM brand?
BetMGM used partnerships to build a narrative around entertainment, safety, and legitimacy instead of simply buying ad space. Its partners included major sports leagues, veteran athletes and media personalities, and hospitality brands such as MGM properties in Las Vegas.
With leagues, the goal was to co-create messaging around betting education. With veteran athletes, the tone shifted from "win big" to "play smart." With MGM properties, the goal was a luxury lifestyle image that emphasized experience over winnings.
Joint press events, co-branded education campaigns, business media interviews, and behind-the-scenes social content supported these partnerships. The result was "insider" status inside an entertainment ecosystem with history and prestige, not another betting app.
2. How did BetMGM turn responsible gambling into a brand pillar?
BetMGM treated responsible gambling as a core brand message and put PR resources behind it, where some competitors treated it as a compliance checkbox. The company secured a five-year extension of its GameSense responsible-gambling partnership, announced March 1, 2023, and was recognized with one of the Responsible Gambling Council's top accreditations for integrating player protection into its platform.
The program included three parts:
Public campaigns on deposit limits, self-exclusion, and time-outs, built into onboarding flows and app notifications.
A designated responsible gaming ambassador who gave interviews, engaged with communities, and fronted campaign videos.
Earned media stories about how players used responsible gambling tools to regain control and how support teams were trained to detect risky behavior.
BetMGM avoided a patronizing tone. Its messaging framed responsible gambling as smart and empowering, in the same category as responsible drinking or managing finances.
3. How did BetMGM manage regulatory scrutiny?
BetMGM managed regulatory scrutiny with preemptive transparency, opening up voluntarily instead of waiting to be accused of bad practice. The company took four steps:
Publishing usage statistics for self-exclusion and limit-setting tools, to show that real people used them.
Joining panels and advisory groups with state regulators, addiction specialists, and civic groups.
Rolling out features ahead of legislation, such as limiting advertising near schools or restricting bet types for high-risk users.
Partnering with nine NFL teams to promote responsible gambling messaging in stadiums during games, per BetMGM's FY2023 update.
The PR team pitched these initiatives to business and tech media, reframing regulatory compliance as industry leadership. That positioning earned goodwill in competitive licensing processes across new states.
4. How did BetMGM handle criticism of its advertising?
BetMGM handled criticism by acknowledging concerns and addressing them directly. When backlash grew over ad visibility during family-friendly sports broadcasts, the PR team issued public statements explaining ad placement decisions, reduced ad volume during certain hours and events before it was legally required, and met critics, including public health advocates, in closed-door conversations and public roundtables.
Several rivals doubled down or went silent during similar controversies. BetMGM's posture of listening, adjusting, and explaining gave it a stronger case when states weighed who deserved a license.
5. How did data and technology become a PR asset?
BetMGM used its analytics capability as a communications asset by publicizing the safety features built on it. The narrative covered AI-driven alerts that notify players when their behavior deviates from past patterns, in-app education that explains odds, expected value, and common cognitive biases, and user controls such as instantly freezing an account or setting session reminders.
PR materials told the story of how and why each feature was built and what effect it had on real players. In an industry often accused of putting profit ahead of safety, that made the brand read as thoughtful and modern.
6. Why did executive visibility matter?
Executive visibility mattered because it showed that responsibility was a boardroom priority, not a legal department task. BetMGM leaders gave interviews to major news outlets, appeared at conferences, and wrote opinion pieces on the future of responsible gambling, instead of hiding behind press releases.
What results did the strategy deliver?
BetMGM's net revenue reached $1.96 billion in 2023, up 36% year over year and at the top end of its guidance range, per Entain's February 2024 FY2023 update. The company held a 14% share of the US sports betting and iGaming market and 22% of the Ontario market the same year.
Two qualitative effects followed from the strategy as described above. BetMGM differentiated itself from rivals that had become interchangeable betting apps, and its cooperative, transparent approach gave it a better reception in states with stricter regulatory standards.
What can other gambling operators learn from BetMGM?
Other gambling operators can take five lessons from BetMGM's playbook:
Use PR early and honestly. It shapes perception and earns trust before problems arise.
Embed responsible gambling in messaging, product design, and leadership so it works as a brand advantage.
Pitch stories with real examples. Earned media coverage follows authenticity, not slogans.
Put executives on the record. A brand lacks credibility if its leaders are not visible and accountable.
Many brands chased user acquisition at all costs in the rush to conquer US online gambling, and paid for it in trust, regulatory friction, and negative press. BetMGM took the longer view. The decision for any operator is whether to publish its player-protection data before a regulator asks for it.
BetMGM generated $1.96 billion in net revenue for full-year 2023, up 36% year over year and at the top end of its guidance range, according to Entain's February 2024 FY2023 update.
What is BetMGM's GameSense partnership?
GameSense is a responsible-gambling program that gives players tools and information on setting limits and recognizing risky behavior. BetMGM extended its GameSense partnership for five years, announced March 1, 2023.
What market share does BetMGM hold in US sports betting?
BetMGM held a 14% share of the combined US sports betting and iGaming market in 2023, and 22% of the Ontario, Canada market, per BetMGM's FY2023 update.
How did BetMGM respond to criticism over ad volume?
BetMGM issued public statements explaining its ad placement decisions, voluntarily reduced ad volume during certain hours and events ahead of any legal requirement to do so, and engaged directly with public health advocates in roundtable discussions.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
