Sports Betting-Inside the Numbers:Olympic Marketing

 The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games enaged with an audience of over 3 billion people according to an independent reasearch survey conducted by the IOC.This was via linear TV and digital platforms.Along with the Olympic broadcast partners using media and digital platforms,this led to over 28 billion views.Some of those views were done multiple times by the same people. This is still 139% increase over th 2016 Olympics Games in Rio.The power of streaming can not not be undereatimated and the 2024 Olympics should exceed the record set in 2020.

So how many of these people are your customers and how do you plan to involve them over the next 3 week? I have some suggestions that you can use to connect with your customers.

1. Provide periodic updates during the games with a personal touch. Have members of your team relay scores or video highlights.Share updates that the customer will find relevant. Have a team member that speak the same language as the customer or in the same age range, initiate the conversation.The patron will value the exchange and the team member solidify the relationship.
2. Plan a special that coincides with the Olympics Games. If you have brisk business in the morning,offer croissants.If your crowd is mid day to dinner time,steak fries will be appropriate. Both of these choices are synonymous with Paris ,France.
3. Allow your team members to wear t-shirts representing the country they are rooting for. This   acknowleges their lineage and the heritage of their ancestors.The employees will feel proud working for you during this two week period.  
4. Poll your clientele and gauge the interest in a watch party.If you get a response rate of 50%,you can realistically expect 30 to 60% of that group to come. Depending on your budget,you can entertain your guests with games of corn hole,Culture Tags and Five Card Draw Poker. Everyone has the opportunity to play with the top three people getting a prize ranking Gold,Silver and Bronze.
5. Sports Betting on the Olympics has some intrguing odds. The numbers range from prohibitive favoritess  to long shots.The USA Mens and Womens Basketball are the overwhelming favorites. The USA Soccer Team is a 25-1 long shot to win a gold medal.You can bet on what country will win the most gold medals and if the USA will win under 40.5 Gold Medals/ The odds are set at -130 for the under.China has the same under price but the number is set at 34.5. 

If you are not connecting your venue or brand with something related to the Olympics,there should be a serious look at how you are connecting with your customers.Just by celebrating the diversity of the participants will create a buzz. If you totally sleeping this opportunity then I know you should be conversing with me before NFL starts this fall!

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3 Takeaways from the G2E 2021

These are my 3 Takeaways from the 2021 G2E. This was my 1st trip to Las Vegas in 2 years so I could have easily added more to my list. But these three are areas I envision that will gain traction over the next 18 months. Watch the video and read my commentary, Tell me what you think about where the gaming industry is going.

1). CashLess Transactions: Even before Covid 19 changed the way we interact with each other,cashless gaming transactions were available in Europe & the UK. Covid is expediting the transition to having those transactions here in the United States. As oppose to counting  a large sum of money and transfering it from your facility to a finacial institution, a digital trnsaction would save time and money. Jonathan Micheals,SVP for Strategic Development of Sightline Payments is instrumental in the conversation about the advantages associated with going cashless.

2). Mobile Technology expansion to the casino floor: Remember the days when using your phone in the sports book or near a table game was totally prohibited. Well look for the advent of a mobile expierience that the casinos will welcome. Resorts World Las Vegas has a loyalty system that a player can utilize if they did not bring their player's card to the casino. If the player has his phone the play can be tracked and the player can recieve an accurate rating of his action. This saves money because the casino does not have to print up a new loyalty card everytime the guest forgets to bring it. It also allows the marketing team to know when you are playing and increases the opportunities for the casino to connect with the guest. A player could have match play downloaded to his phone while playing blackjack or an odd boost tailored to his favorite team after a score.

3).The Importance of Media: The sucessful operators are partnering with media companies to promote brand awareness. So the way to stand out is to have content that is engaging and spurs conversation. How is your message extending beyond your facility? Is it being communicated within your building? The use of social media is imperative to reach outside of your geographical radius. There is a substantial gain associated with a strategic digital marketing plan that operators & media collectively work toward. The propect of gaming and media has me at the perfect intersection.

Follow me on Twitter for more gaming and sports betting related content. During the NBA & NFL season,you can access my work with the hashtag #GTLivechat. Join me and my cohost @KeshisCuties during prime time telecasts when games are on ESPN,TNT,NBC, ABC & NFL Network.

 

5 Gaming Predictions for 2021

The New Year is all of 4 days old. I decided to look into my crystal ball and make 5 bold predictions for gaming in 2021. Check back on December 31th and we can talk about how I did.

New York will authorize mobile betting. The amount of money New York is watching go from New York City into the Meadowlands is absurd. If you could bet on mobile device that would eliminate trips into New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There is a legislative push to approve mobile wagering. It will bring tax revenue. but not at the rate that will fix up the state deficit.  

The Media Blitz of Sports Betting Ads will exceed 2015   In 2015,FanDuel and DraftKings were trying to convince everybody that playing Daily Fantasy Football was not gambling. The opening week of football season those operators spent 27 million for 8,000 television spots. Fast forward to this year when every game will have references to wagering pre game and at the end of the each quarter or inning. Major market teams will emulate the Wizards and NBC Sports with sports wagering centric telecasts.

The rebirth of Las Vegas and Atlantic City will start on the 4th of July. That weekend will be a coming out party for all of the high rollers that have stayed away from the action since March 2020. This month will coincide with 26 weeks of vaccinations across the country. People that have not traveled or been to concerts and gambled, will be thrilled to have a get a way! The emphasis on a having the cleanest rooms, along with a social distance and mask required environment, will solidify the reservation. A lack of planning will stifle responses.

The 2021 Olympics will be the most watched event in history. It will be streamed, on cable, part of social media apps and part of NBC Sports Prime Time Evening coverage.  NBC & Twitter will collaborate on several live events. The global ramifications will have all of the major advertisers paying 1.25 Billion for sponsorships for the 2021 Tokyo Games. Watch out for several brands that you may not have heard of.

There will be a resurgent in radio listenership The satellite radio stations like Sirius and I Heart Radio will provide information and music to a new younger audience that wants to experience both. The amount of I Heart listeners grew to 8% of Americans with a global audience of 168 million people in 2019. Look for the number to push slightly over 10%. A partnership between I Heart and VSIN Sports was just announced. I see an alliance with epic growth opportunities. 

Regional shows will push local content to engage their audiences during morning drive times and evening commutes. The shows that will have the most success are ones that have entertaining guests and interactive audience engagement. Think 97.5 The Fanatic and you will have the recipe.

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