Playmaker, a sports media and talent management brand, on Friday unveiled the launch of “Playmaker Betting,” a new content vertical that will include sports betting content, events, games and more.
Poker player Jeff Gross (pictured) was announced as the company’s latest high-profile investor.
According to Playmaker, collaborative content involving Gross will be rolled out over the coming months, including Gross’ podcast. A series following his World Series of Poker journey will live across all Playmaker platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, TikTok, YouTube, and more.
With more than 25 original series and podcasts on its 2021 slate, Playmaker said in a statement it will play a larger role in the professional poker and sports betting space, “taking fan and player engagement to a new level.”
The company soft-launched its sports betting vertical in early August, partnering with top sportsbooks and casinos, including BetMGM, CircaSports and others. Playmaker said its approach to sports betting content is aimed at the 21-to-34 demographic of new sports bettors and existing sports bettors.
Playmaker also has partnered with the American Flag Football League to introduce the AFFL’s Speed Survivor SMS game, which will run throughout the NFL season. It is a two-way, conversational, free-to-play game played entirely over text message. The player is texted and must answer correctly within an amount of time to move on until only one player is left standing. The first game launched during the NBA draft, when players were texted before each pick to make their prediction. A lucky winner was awarded the $1,000 grand prize.
“We see the future of sports betting content being short-form, snackable video and audio content, as well as two-way, conversational live experiences, from events to SMS, streaming, and everything in between,” explained Brandon Harris, Playmaker CEO. “We will create content and experiences that are fun, engaging and informative first, and naturally introduce sports betting into the conversation.”
David Woodley, CCO and CRO at Playmaker, added, “We are thrilled to bring on Jeff Gross as not only an investor, but an advisor as well. Jeff has already provided us several valuable alignments with his existing network and portfolio and will be announcing those partnerships later this month.”
Gross said Playmaker was a “perfect fit” for him, noting, “One of my close friends, Phil Hellmuth, introduced me to the guys. We have some cool things coming up for the World Series of Poker.The sports industry is growing so quickly. Betting is becoming less taboo and legalized at a federal level. Poker is coming back online in many states. People are going to do it anyway, you want to show them good value spots, just do it responsibly."
