MARKETING
SBC LEADERS ISSUE 29
BRINGING VEGAS TO THE UK Launching a new brand in the UK’s crowded betting and iGaming market poses a significant challenge to marketers, but it is one that SAM BEHAR, the UK Director of BetMGM, has relished.
Words by MARTYN ELLIOTT
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e believe we have shaken up the market with BetMGM UK. We believe we’re offering something uniquely different. We believe this is a significant launch. And we believe that this is what customers are looking for.”
“MGM as an entity has a significant presence on the Strip in Vegas and a long heritage building brick-and-mortar businesses, particularly in the US. A lot of people claim that they can be Vegas, but no one is as Vegas as we are,” said Behar.
That may sound like a bold claim, but it is one that Sam Behar, UK Director of BetMGM, feels entirely confident in making after orchestrating an eye-catching and successful launch strategy for the newest name on the British betting and gaming landscape.
It is not the brashness of Vegas that the BetMGM UK brand is built on though, but rather the high-level customer experience that the city’s luxurious casino resorts are famed for.
The BetMGM UK sportsbook and casino became MGM Resorts’ first wholly-owned digital international expansion project to go live in August last year, combining one of the gambling industry’s strongest brand names with the proven technology of LeoVegas.
“The uniqueness of this brand is that this is an entertainment-first proposition,” Behar continued. “First of all, it’s bringing a very unique name in MGM to the UK. Secondly, it is putting in place unique product positions, particularly the exclusive content that we have through our casino and live casino products.
A month later it launched a national media campaign dripping with Vegas glamour, complete with ads fronted by US superstar Chris Rock.
“At the same time, we are delivering what we call ‘golden offers’, pricing and a promotional calendar that is as big as anyone else in this market.
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