When it comes to sports betting, football and basketball dominate the conversation. But what about less mainstream sports like NASCAR? While still an under-explored market, NASCAR holds untapped potential to become a betting powerhouse. To unpack the dynamics of this emerging space, we brought in the perfect expert to share his insights.
In the upcoming EssentiallySports Think Tank podcast episode, our host, Trey Holder, sat down with AJ Mazza, Director of Brand at BetMGM. Their discussion on possible strategies to penetrate the NASCAR market may shed light on other sports betting companies out there. Mazza’s in-depth knowledge about brand management and marketing is slowly paving the way for BetMGM to spread its wings in the fervent NASCAR ecosystem.
Considering Mazza specializes in recognizing market gaps through his brand lenses, Holder asked him for his views about the NASCAR world. “NASCAR is a great one,” Mazza said. He then went on to explain what makes NASCAR a different market than the ones that BetMGM usually focuses on. “What’s interesting about NASCAR is it taps into a slightly different fan base, which is good for us. We are still a broad-based product,” Mazza added.
What he wanted to mean by broad-based product was, “Football is overexaggerated, basketball is overexaggerated, if you watch an NBA game, you can do anything without seeing a competitor’s logo. Maybe hockey, to a certain extent,” Mazza quipped. Depending on how dominant the football and basketball worlds are, Mazza is excited to see what NASCAR holds in store for them. Riding on their special fan base, Mazza is looking forward to its future in the betting world. “I think Nascar gives us access to sort of a different fan base, which is exciting.”
Last year, betting activities on NASCAR in its first two months were up by 50%. That, as you know, can be described as really impactful for the sport in general. And yet another crazy stat that showcases the growing popularity of NASCAR is that it nearly accounts for 20% of legal sports gambling in the United States. So, the growth is there. That’s why Mazza, with his BetMGM, is trying to revolutionize the experience for its customers.
BetMGM’s master plan to capture the NASCAR world
Before Mazza came into BetMGM, it was already one of the leading sports betting companies out there. And in the NASCAR world, it has gained a strong foothold thanks to its partnership with Richard Childress Racing. So, given that BetMGM has Richard Childress Racing on its side to boost its popularity in the NASCAR ecosystem. Mazza has since spilled his plans with Richard Childress Racing, changing the way sports bettors view NASCAR events. “Because of our relationship with Richard Childress Racing, we are able to offer this one-of-a-kind experience that you can’t get anywhere else,” Mazza said.
This one-of-a-kind experience that Mazza is talking about consists of a vast range of activities you can enjoy as a BetMGM customer/player. “Meet the driver, give the tour of the garage, get down to pit row, these are all things that we just love giving our players these opportunities that they can’t get anywhere else,” Mazza added. Those things help you immerse yourself in the NASCAR world. Learning how things happen behind the scenes is always something that intrigues fan bases.
So, Mazza’s approach can be tied to his vision of BetMGM in the NASCAR market. You won’t just get to place bets on your favorite events or races at the NASCAR tracks. Instead, you do a whole lot more thanks to the changes Mazza is planning through BetMGM.
Our EssentiallySports Think Tank podcast explicitly offers valuable insights from global industry experts. To catch up on more such interviews, stay tuned as we bring more leaders on our future podcast episodes. This is EssentiallySports Think Tank—Where Sports Meets Smart Content.
The post Racing Towards Opportunity: BetMGM’s AJ Mazza on the Untapped NASCAR’s Market Gap appeared first on EssentiallySports.