On Friday, March 6, 2020, SeventySix Capital hosted a free educational panel and networking event focused on the business of sports betting before the Maxwell Awards honored the season’s best of the best in football.

The Sports Innovation Meetup Series Powered by SeventySix Capital brought together entrepreneurs, investors, sports industry professionals, and athletes to hear from an esteemed panel of executives representing some of the world’s largest sports betting companies:

Aubrey Levy • VP of Marketing & Content, theScore

Sharon Otterman • Chief Marketing Officer, William Hill

Josh Appelbaum • Sports Betting Reporter, VSiN

Jess David • Director of Marketing, SeventySix Capital (moderator)

On innovative tech solutions for the sports betting industry:

We’re looking to merge media and mobile betting. Consumers aren’t just placing bets in single isolation. How we offer a sports betting experience is a priority to our users first and foremost. We’re looking to lean further into casual bettors, not just seasoned bettors.

— Josh Appelbaum • Sports Betting Reporter, VSiN

For us, we have 4 million currently active betting users on our mobile product. What makes it successful is that data is key. One of the most innovative solutions we can have in sports betting is if someone can find a way to integrate percentages across all sportsbooks. 

Another opportunity for innovative solutions is contingent upon being honest for the readers’ benefit and acknowledge realistic expectations. People want data. Provide them insights.

— Aubrey Levy • VP of Marketing & Content, theScore

In-play betting is the biggest growth opportunity. We’ve seen in-game betting successfully integrated into different markets outside of the United States. For marketing in the future, we’re looking into how we integrate everything into betting. Particularly, we’re looking for data integration while keeping the consumer in mind. 

— Sharon Otterman • Chief Marketing Officer, William Hill

On marketing trends within sports betting:

I think the main thing, no matter if it’s a media company or sports company, is that it’s about the consumer. It hasn’t changed, and that will continue to be the case. But how we engage the consumer has evolved over the years.

Today, marketing automation tools that engage the consumer from awareness throughout their journey is really important. This is especially important in sports betting because consumers can get stuck along the way. Great automation tools help consumers get through issues like depositing money, for instance.

Also, when you talk to consumers today, they want experiences over things – especially millennials. Sportsbooks, like the William Hill sportsbook inside the Tropicana Atlantic City, make you understand why consumers want physical experiences in addition to the access provided on your phone.

— Sharon Otterman • Chief Marketing Officer, William Hill

On delivering differentiated content for a variety of betting audiences:

There’s a way to acknowledge both casual and seasoned bettors. However, what it looks like for casual bettors is yet to be determined, and nobody has figured that out yet. Our job as sports betting marketers is to service fans’ experiences regardless of the bettor spectrum. 

Sports are tied to people’s core. It’s integrated into much of what people across the world play, watch, and bet. To maximize content, lean into a consumer’s fandom and experience, and serve it to them in a way that supports the underlying experiences they’re looking to have. Understand what drives both casual and seasoned bettors, and communicate to both of them at the same time. 

— Aubrey Levy • VP of Marketing & Content, theScore

On educated bettors’ ability to beat the house: 

The house has such an incredible edge already. However, there is such an influx of bettors that, on the surface, it seems detrimental, but people and organizations that provide information gain respect from bettors who appreciate being educated with more detailed insights.

— Josh Appelbaum • Sports Betting Reporter, VSiN

On the intersection of sports betting and esports:

As it relates to esports, how you service the betting audience is very different than the traditional sports betting audience. Esports viewership and numbers are there, and they’re accurate. Although the numbers are solid, don’t expect the esports betting market to be tapped for another few years. There is still a huge opportunity for betting, but different engagement methods would be needed for vastly different audiences. 

— Aubrey Levy • VP of Marketing & Content, theScore

On staying up to date with the latest news and trends in sports betting:

Check the maps!

— Sharon Otterman • Chief Marketing Officer, William Hill

Read The Smart Money and The Everything Guide to Sports Betting, and watch VSiN!

— Josh Appelbaum • Sports Betting Reporter, VSiN

Download theScore!

— Aubrey Levy • VP of Marketing & Content, theScore

WATCH:
Marketing in the New Era of Sports Betting

About Our Panelists

Aubrey Levy • VP of Marketing & Content, theScore

Aubrey heads-up marketing and content at theScore, the first media company in North America to create and operate a mobile sportsbook in the United States. theScore Bet is uniquely integrated with theScore’s highly-popular sports media app to deliver an immersive and holistic mobile sports betting experience. Natively built for iOS and Android devices, theScore Bet currently supports wagering in New Jersey with more states set to follow. Aubrey also leads the strategy and growth of theScore esports, the company's market-leading platform dedicated to covering the competitive video game scene. With more than one million subscribers, its YouTube channel is the leading independent provider of esports video content. 

Sharon Otterman • Chief Marketing Officer, William Hill

Sharon Otterman, Chief Marketing Officer, joined William Hill US in July of 2018. Prior to William Hill, Sharon was the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of The Madison Square Garden Company. She joined MSG in April 2015 after nearly six years at NBCUniversal, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for MSNBC and NBC News.

Prior to joining MSNBC in 2009, Sharon spent six years at ESPN, where she last served as Vice President of Customer Experience Strategy and New Media Marketing, leading the customer acquisition, advertising, customer care, brand development and positioning efforts for all digital products, including ESPN.com, Mobile, and Broadband. Sharon graduated cum laude from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science and graduated from the Executive MBA Program at New York University. She resides in New York City with her husband and twin daughters.

Josh Appelbaum • Sports Betting Reporter, VSiN

Josh Appelbaum is a Sports Betting Reporter for the Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN). He hosts the VSiN Market Insights Podcast, writes the daily newsletter and is a regular on the Lombardi Line. Josh has worked in the sports betting industry for more than a decade and focuses on contrarian, data-driven betting. He is also the author of The Everything Guide to Sports Betting (2019, Simon and Schuster). Josh grew up in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Vermont in 2009. He currently lives in Boston and is a die-hard Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots and Celtics fan.

Jessica David • Director of Marketing, SeventySix Capital (moderator)

Jessica is a designer and marketer dedicated to making the world a more thoughtfully created place. From startups to Fortune 500 companies, she has worked with teams of all ambitions. Jess was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2020 and Cynopsis Best of the Best: Rising Stars 2020.

As the Director of Marketing at SeventySix Capital, Jess manages the firm's strategic marketing efforts, including digital media, design, public relations, and events. Additionally, Jess provides marketing support to SeventySix Capital's Athlete Venture Group, portfolio companies, and investors.

Prior to SeventySix Capital, Jess worked for Meyer Design as their lead marketing and branding designer, the Chester County Intermediate Unit, and has been a contracted designer for NASA, James Madison University, and small business owners. Jess is an active member and mentor for the AIGA Philadelphia chapter and serves on the Women in Sports Tech (WiST) Advisory Board. She is an alumni of James Madison University and a recipient of the JMU College of Business Scholarship Award.