Writer’s Strike End a Boon for Sports Networks, Agencies
Vigtory, a new sports betting operator catering to high-wager bettors, has entered a partnership with sports betting media company The Action Network to target its audience.
The partnership includes exclusive rights to integrate The Action Network’s betting tools into Vigtory’s app, taking the media company’s operator partnerships to a new level. The Action Network already has partnerships with operators like BetMGM, PointsBet and DraftKings.
The deal will provide Vigtory with assets like The Action Network’s projection tools and social graph of expert picks, alongside Action’s Sports Insights platform. Vigtory will also give bettors subscriptions to The Action Network, providing them insights to bet better.
“Vigtory’s focus on product innovation combined with our industry-leading content is exactly the type of deeply integrated partnership we strive to bring to our audience,” The Action Network Chief Commercial Officer Ari Borod said.
The aim of its launch is to innovate the American betting experience with product, price and experience, according to founder and co-Chief Executive Officer Sam Rattner.
Launches in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa and New Jersey are expected first upon regulatory approval, but Rattner said half-a-dozen additional markets are expected within 12 months.
Building the platform from scratch, Rattner said Vigtory could build a product catered to an American market, building in live streaming, merchandising and content like The Action Network’s insights and tools.
“We wanted to revamp the entire thing,” Rattner said.
Rattner was recently joined by former MGM Resorts International executive Scott Butera as Vigtory’s co-CEO. Butera was most recently president of interactive gaming, overseeing MGM Resorts International’s professional sports partnerships and sports betting operations and development.
Butera said his goal is to help create a product that allows bettors to place larger bets quickly with expedient approval by the sports book, with a focus on online and in-game bets.
“What makes for great technology isn’t how pretty it looks but how easy it functions,” Butera said. “We’re creating a sportsbook and betting app that’s specifically designed for betting on sports. We want to hit true sports bettors, betting higher numbers who aren’t enticed by bonuses.”
Along with being what Rattner calls the “most competitively priced operator in the U.S. market,” he said Vigtory will also treat bettors more like casinos treat high-stakes blackjack players.
“[Blackjack players] are treated like superstars, they’re flown out, put up,” Rattner said. “Sports bettors, especially online bettors, are treated like commodities and it’s about who has the best marketing strategy.
“We’d rather build a differentiated and meaningful product and have a VIP program,” he added.
An example Rattner used: a bettor betting $20,000 on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers and Vigtory flying them to Staples Center and putting them courtside. Rattner said the company is finalizing deals with sports leagues for expanded assets.
The deal with The Action Network gets them in front of those engaged bettors — 3 million subscribers — who will spend big dollars.
Rattner pointed to deals like NBC and PointsBet, and CBS and William Hill as big marketing spends to get in front of as many eyeballs as possible. In those deals, operators likely are hoping to transition fantasy and free-to-play game players to bettors, he said.
Rattner also said high-wager bettors, the players putting $500 or more on games, largely are doing so with illegal overseas sportsbooks.
“People who bet don’t test whether they want to bet, the idea to convert legacy free-to-play on Yahoo to bet $400 on a game won’t happen,” Rattner said. “I’d rather be in front of 3 million people who bet than 100 million who might care.”
“We’re going after the more astute, engaged bettor, high volume bettor.”
