In the next few years, Scott Butera expects digital wagering to represent nearly 90% of the sports betting market.
Butera, president of interactive gaming for MGM Resorts, made his comments Friday at the unveiling of a sports betting kiosk at the newly branded BetMGM sportsbook at Park MGM.
The kiosk, which is live, is one of about 100 that will be added to MGM properties on the Strip. In addition to the book at Park MGM, all MGM sportsbooks in Las Vegas will be rebranded as BetMGM venues.
The change will be introduced at books at the Bellagio, Aria, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, New York-New York, Luxor and Excalibur in the coming weeks, according to MGM officials.
The company also recently rolled out its new BetMGM Nevada mobile betting app, which is a collaboration between MGM and GVC Goldings, a British tech and sports betting firm.
“The idea is to combine great property experiences with outstanding BetMGM technology,” Butera said. “The user experience with the new app is very robust. It’s easy to use and has substantially more betting options. You can bet on as many as 30 or 40 props per game.”
The new app replaces the PlayMGM app, which was launched in 2017.
With college basketball conference tournaments happening now — a handful of them in Las Vegas — and selection Sunday for the always-popular men’s NCAA basketball tournament set for March 15, the additions come at a busy time.
With sometimes long lines at the sportsbooks, the kiosks are expected to alleviate some of the congestion.
“March Madness is the highest-volume event for sports in Las Vegas, and the whole idea was to get this all up and running in time for it,” Butera said.
Matt Prevost of ROAR Digital, the combined MGM/GVC Holdings digital sports betting venture, said the kiosks have been well-received in other markets, such as Mississippi, and he expected a similar reception in Las Vegas.
“Once we figure out traffic patterns and things like that, I think we’ll deploy even more kiosks,” Prevost said.
In the next two or three years, Butera said, he expects about 85% of the sports betting business in the U.S. to be done on a digital platform.
“This all allows you to have engagement with customers, beyond just your property,” Butera said. “We think that’s important. Also, it gives bettors so many more options for what they can do. As technology improves and 5G gets more incorporated, people are going to want to watch a game and bet on things as they’re happening. That’s how you get that casual bettor.”
Per state gaming regulations, Nevada resident app users need to sign up in person for the service. After that, users — who must be at least 21 and physically in the state when they place bets — are free to use the app anytime.
The BetMGM app is available to download on both iOS and Android mobile devices.