## The Victor Takes All – Sporting Wagers – iGB
iGB Commentary: Daniel O’Boyle asserts that four years after the revocation of PASPA, the market share in US sporting wagers has stabilized, with minimal likelihood of rank shifts or new competitors appearing.
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The Victor Takes All
It’s widely accepted that Western popular culture entered a period of stagnation in the late 2000s.
If you watch a film or television program set in the 1980s and 1990s, you’ll clearly perceive the distinction, as their fashion, technology, and soundtracks are unique. But a film set in the 2010s would appear very similar to the present day. We’ve been pursuing nostalgia for the past decade instead of generating something novel.
In the US sporting wagering arena, there’s no doubt that advancement will persist: products will improve significantly, and new methods of wagering will surface.
But in terms of market share and brand impact, we may have already reached a point of stagnation.
The Leader of the Pack Emerges
In fact, we were already on this trajectory before the revocation of PASPA: FanDuel and DraftKings established themselves as the two most apparent contenders for market leadership during the daily fantasy craze. The company that ultimately became Flutter was astute enough to recognize this and acquired one of them.
Nearly at the same time, the introduction of internet casinos in New Jersey set the stage for land-based behemoth MGM to collaborate with then GVC Holdings, paving the path for the eventual joint venture.
Currently, with all the major players’ second-quarter earnings released, the sports betting scene has solidified: FanDuel is the market leader, with BetMGM and DraftKings trailing behind.
After them, there’s a considerable gap to Caesars, and then the rest of the competitors.
FanDuel appears to be taking a hint from American sports, lining up in a winning formation and taking a knee to end the match. As announced today, the business is profitable, and with Flutter giant supporting the brand, Peter Jackson isn’t reluctant to keep pouring advertising funds while all rivals back off.
BetMGM’s performance details may be released later, but it’s evident that it’s on track, with second-quarter losses falling to around $60 million. In online casinos, it’s the market leader, but even in betting, it’s established itself to the point where when the two verticals are combined, it’s firmly in second place.
And BetMGM’s part-owner Entain certainly understands that after a jurisdiction regulates these days, the hierarchy quickly gets established. After all, earlier this year, it chose to acquire Dutch overnight sensation BetCity rather than rebuild its existing brand’s market share before the country’s Remote Gambling Act came into effect.
Its undeniable that it holds the same enthusiasm for Eastern Europe, where it has already agreed to buy SuperSport and intends to acquire more top players in the market.
At the same time, DraftKings, yes, is still experiencing substantial financial losses. But last Friday’s (August 5th) financial report was a significant positive indicator. The company significantly reduced its marketing expenditures compared to the first quarter, but revenue remained robust. There’s an advantage to being the first to aggressively invest in marketing, and it appears DraftKings has cultivated some customer loyalty that will be beneficial in the future.
Not much, but definitely too late.
Most other businesses are only beginning to take things seriously, and they’re doing so too late. Take Caesars, one of the most aggressive and well-known players in the larger US land-based market.
No company has been more aggressive in its marketing efforts. $3,000 sign-up bonuses seem like something only found in the wildest dreams of gamblers. At the same time, it offers a product that has already captured a significant portion of the market in other regions.
However, despite a substantial improvement in second-quarter revenue, it’s still lagging behind the leaders and is now reducing its marketing expenditures. While brands like DraftKings have at least offered free bets to hesitant customers, Caesars has presented its offers to gamblers who already have their preferred sports betting platforms and are difficult to persuade to switch.
The same applies to other operators.
When they commenced advertising, forging alliances, and equaling the market leaders in incentives, patrons had already migrated to other destinations.
ESPN has been a subject of conjecture in the athletic wagering domain for an extended period. Recent pronouncements from Disney CEO Bob Chapek during the company’s most recent earnings conference call have sustained this speculation.
Chapek indicated that the company has been engaged in “long-standing discussions” to “append some utility surrounding wagering” and that Disney anticipates making an announcement shortly.
Most likely, this will be an expansion into the affiliate domain, rather than the introduction of its own athletic wagering product.
However, even if ESPN athletic wagering is fully launched in the near future, supported by a truly top-notch platform, don’t anticipate it to rapidly ascend to the pinnacle of market share.
Undeniably, ESPN reigns supreme in the athletic media panorama, but seamlessly integrating a media and wagering product is not a trivial undertaking. Penn National Gaming and 888 have both established agreements with renowned media brands: both entities are considerably smaller than ESPN, but it’s challenging to envision ESPN’s rendition catapulting to the summit given the influence of Barstool and Sports Illustrated athletic wagering in the initial stages of the market.
Within a realm where every prominent figure in American athletics has inked media agreements with operators, what is the promotional worth of Stephen A. Smith?
Can other enterprises make a significant impact?
If ESPN isn’t the brand strength that defines the market leader, then other sports titans certainly aren’t either. Apparel behemoth Fanatics has the financial resources to make a big splash, but it might be more advantageous to acquire a recognized market leader like DraftKings rather than attempting to go it alone or collaborating with a firm that hasn’t conquered the US market.
Bet365’s worldwide success might make it a contender, but it wouldn’t engage in the necessary tactics to become a market leader. There’s no reason to believe the company would shift its focus from all other markets to the US, without that dedicated attention. It might expand its US operations to more states, but if so, it likely wouldn’t target the kind of mass market consumers it has in markets like the UK.
In reality, targeting specific groups outside the mass market is often the most effective strategy for those seeking a particular demographic, casual participants, “knowledgeable” gamblers, or players within a single state.
Still up for grabs
But what about gambling establishments?
Don’t be overly optimistic about newcomers taking the top position.
Just as FanDuel took the lead in online wagering, BetMGM might do the same in casinos.
Nevertheless, the intriguing aspect is that despite the challenge of displacing BetMGM from the top online casino positions, there could be a larger pool of funds available. Moreover, casinos are generally more conducive to established brands compared to sports wagering.
The widespread adoption of online casinos hasn’t materialized as widely anticipated, following the surge in sports betting legislation. However, legislators won’t indefinitely resist the trend. As long as online casinos remain prohibited in most regions, financial resources will continue to flow directly to illicit operators.
A battle for market share persists as additional states legalize gambling.
However, in the realm of sports betting, the rankings seem to have stagnated, largely unchanged.
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