With a new NFL season here, sports betting operators across the country bolstered their marketing efforts to acquire new customers and retain existing users.
The fierce competition between operators led SBC Americas to rank the most recent TV spots from the top sportsbooks in America. The ads showcase the various techniques operators deploy to gain an edge while providing entertainment in a competitive industry.
Here’s how SBC Americas writers ranked the ads, from our averaged least favorite to our number one:
7. BetMGM
TV Spot: Link Here
Tom Nightingale: I like myself a nice thick slice of Jon Hamm and generally enjoy most things he’s in, from Mad Men to Bridesmaids to the series of SkipTheDishes adverts. (That last one’s for you, Canada. Google it, Americans.) But this? I don’t get it and I won’t remember it, and I don’t care about either of those things. Rank: 6
Jessica Welman: I have two film degrees and I am still at a little bit of a loss about what this campaign with Hamm is. It doesn’t seem to be going for humor, it is a bit muted to be aspirational the way Jamie Foxx spots were. Instead, it is just… a kinda uneventful story with a very charming narrator. Rank: 6
Justin Byers: Still trying to figure out what just happened but good to see Hamm. Rank: 6
6. Caesars
TV Spot: Link Here
Tom: Immediate thoughts: In Lisa Vanderpump and Gordon Ramsay, Caesars could not have recruited two less believable line-deliverers if they had tried. I would also have preferred it if, after Ramsey said they “just gave me one line,” they’d stuck to it. Rank: 7
Jess: If I have two major interests, it is fancy restaurants and women of a certain age arguing on Bravo. In other words, this is an ad designed specifically for me, which is the bad news for Caesars, as it did not resonate with me at all. Having these guys read a sports betting script isn’t going to convert Bravostans like myself. You have to go a little further in the direction of the customer if this is going to capture that demo. Rank: 5
Justin: I will be the first to admit that I’m a Vanderpump Rules fan but featuring Lisa Vanderpump and Gordon Ramsay in the ad didn’t move the needle for me. The commercial felt forced and just unnatural from an online sports betting perspective. Rank: 5
5. Fanatics
TV Spot: Link Here
Tom: Listen, I understand Fanatics want to shout about their Fair Play feature, because it’s neat (and mimic-able, amirite?) But an infomercial-esque 30 seconds with Olivia Dunne in the bathtub is capturing nobody. Well, maybe it is. But 10 seconds in, I was Dunne with it. See, I can make poor puns too. Rank: 5
Jess: To be fair, I am clearly not the demo this ad is for. I dock it points for recycling the “Margot Robbie explains financial things” bit in The Big Short, but don’t deny that the app’s core audience is going to appreciate this one a lot more than I do. Rank: 4
Justin: The whole premise of Dunne in a bathtub can be awkward depending on the audience. It’s clear this ad is targeted at a certain demographic but it falls short of having any impact on my desire to create or wager with a Fanatics account. Rank: 7
4. Hard Rock Bet
Tom: If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Hard Rock knows what it is: a brand steeped in Florida sunshine. The “Hard Rock Bet Party” feels show-offish at first, with a laundry list of Florida-adjacent football stars joining Dale Earnhardt and John Daly, until the unassuming Kevin shows up and you realize that’s pretty much the whole point. Rank: 2
Jess: I find the concept here lackluster and a little phoned-in. It doesn’t help that the cast of celebs makes for a party that I would go out of my way to avoid attending. Rank: 7
Justin: The spot is star-studded and does a good job of showcasing the potential benefits of using Hard Rock but leaves more to be desired. You can tell that it is just an ad. Rank: 4
3. FanDuel
TV Spot: Link Here
Tom: If I didn’t enjoy Luis Guzmán’s cameo appearance in a 2011 episode of belatedly beloved NBC sitcom Community as much as I do, I would have nothing at all to say about this. Rank: 4
Jess: It’s fine. Succinct, sells the message, some nice cameos. Rank: 3
Justin: It feels like the most intimate ad out of the group and keeps things simple. Having Guzmán included was a nice, unexpected touch from the Flutter brand. Rank: 3
2. DraftKings
TV Spot: Link Here
Tom: Kevin Hart chatting to LeBron James about touchdowns and making weak Abe Lincoln jokes is probably a YouTube series people would watch, I’ll begrudgingly admit. It’s not a commercial I care to see again, but at least it’s kinda fun. Rank: 3
Jess: I appreciate that DraftKings is leaning into James’ comedic side and it is nice to find a straight man foil for the high-energy Hart, who can be a lot to take on his own. They had me at a Gettysburg Address pun. Rank: 2
Justin: At this point, I would think I would be tired of having LeBron and Hart in DraftKings ads but the duo always seems to make something work. It’s always a light-hearted and funny ad when DraftKings puts the two stars together. Rank: 2
1. PrizePicks
Tom: PrizePicks’ new series is titled “It’s Good To Be Right,” but it should probably be “It’s Good To Be Half-Right.” The weak spot with Druski and Reggie Bush doesn’t land, but Marshawn Lynch and Adam Devine share a fun play on the fact that, as all bettors and fantasy players know, mistakes happen. I also have a sneaking suspicion that “Yeast Mode: Baking With Marshawn” would shift a few copies in real life. Rank: 1
Jess: Listen, I am a USC alum who was there when Reggie Bush was, so yeah, pump this straight into my veins. Honestly, though, I agree with Tom that the spot with Lynch and Devine is legitimately funny and the superior of the two. Rank: 1
Justin: When it comes to visual ads, PrizePicks always delivers something short, sweet and funny. The company’s portfolio of talent is what makes its TV spots and other ads entertaining. Can’t go wrong with anything including Lynch and Druski. Rank: 1
