Sports media and talent management brand Playmaker has launched Playmaker Betting, a new content vertical that will include sports betting content, events, games, and more. Renowned poker player Jeff Gross is the company’s latest high-profile investor.
Collaborative content will be rolled out over the coming months including Gross’ podcast, and content following his World Series of Poker journey will go live across all Playmaker platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, TikTok and Youtube.
With more than 25 original series and podcasts on its 2021 slate, the firm will play a larger role in the professional poker and sports betting space. The company soft-launched its sports betting vertical in early August, partnering with top sportsbooks/casinos including BetMGM, CircaSports, and others.
CEO Brandon Harris commented: “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. We will create content and experiences that are fun, engaging and informative first, and naturally introduce sports betting into the conversation.”
Playmaker has also partnered with the American Flag Football League (AFFL) to introduce its 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 the amount of time to move on until only one player is left standing.
The first game launched during the NBA draft where players were texted before each pick to make their prediction and a lucky winner was awarded the $1,000 grand prize.
“We are thrilled to bring on Jeff Gross as not only an investor, but an advisor as well,” said David Woodley, CCO and CRO at Playmaker. Jeff has already provided us several valuable alignments with his existing network and portfolio and will be announcing those partnerships later this month,”.
Gross added: “Playmaker was a perfect fit. 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 gonna do it anyway, you want to show them good value spots, just do it responsibly.”
