Betfred USA CEO Brian Bennett is bullish on the future of sports betting, and gambling in general, in the US market. The optimistic executive is holding fast to his beliefs, though he’s realistic about the impact the COVID-19 crisis will have on the industry. Bennett shared his views recently in a pair of interviews with SBC Americas.
Suffice to say, 2020 has been a particularly challenging year for anyone associated with teh sports betting world. For a good chunk of the year, there weren’t even any sports to be wagered on. When asked how sportsbooks should deal with the impact of COVID-19 he said, “Don’t panic, keep your eye on the larger prize. 2020 can still be a good year for sports betting if we get all the major sports back as planned for August through October, but we’re really focused on just getting through this year and getting this virus behind us at some point.”
Though his predictions about August through October may not come to pass, Bennett is a realist about the challenges of dealing with off-brand sports during quarantine and the importance of staying true to your core values saying, “We never really offered markets that would be considered unusual since we weren’t online at the time. I don’t begrudge other companies from doing so as they were the only sports available at the time and players want to make bets especially when there’s nothing else going on.”
But above all else, Bennett is extremely excited for his company’s deal with the Denver Broncs football team. “We believe that our relationship with the Broncos will immediately provide brand awareness for Betfred Sports. We’re definitely not a known entity at this time in the US, but the Broncos deal will change that.
The ability to ride along in tandem with one of the most popular sports franchises in the US will be a huge boost to our stature in Colorado and the US in general. We knew we had to do something big in Colorado to compete, and it doesn’t get any bigger than the Broncos.”
While Bennett is correct that Betfred is not a household name in the US, if football actually gets off the ground, all that change in a major way.