As sports betting becomes legal in more states, celebrities and major companies are hitching themselves to sportsbooks. There’s no doubt that it increases the entertainment value of sports content, but is it an honest practice?
Who’s entering the sports betting industry?
For example, YouTuber and social media star Jake Paul just announced his new sportsbook and media company, Betr. And he’s recruited a bunch of big-name investors like rapper Travis Scott and former NFL players Richard Sherman and Dez Bryant.
With so much saturation in the market, it can be hard to decipher who is putting out content in the sports gambling space with good intentions. Almost every sportsbook is building out some type of media branch. They want to offer content to go along with any boost or promotion they do on their sportsbook.
FanDuel has a partnership with the Pat McAfee Show. DraftKings has deals with The Dan Le Batard Show and Jomboy Media. NBC Sports owns shares of Points Bet. So a lot of people have their hands in the cookie jar.
How content changes sports gambling
When these sports betting platforms put out content saying whether or not they like a bet, it can become problematic for the consumer. For example, some people are trying to influence you to throw some money on a bad bet because they bumped up the odds on it. Others will try to offer you bonuses on parlays, which make you need several specific results to cash your ticket.
Bet with your head and understand the risks
If you’re going to make a bet based on the information you heard in the media, make sure it’s coming from a reliable source. Find people who research stats and trends. You make a good bet using logic. You don’t win money in sports betting because it has the name “super-ultra lock of the year.”
At the end of the day, if you are gambling to add entertainment value to watching sports and like a promotion, by all means, take it. But don’t put your life’s savings on it and understand that no wager is ever guaranteed.