Sports Illustrated, the magazine, is looking to make a move into sports betting, the industry in the very near future. According to a report on LegalSportsBetting.com, the storied magazine has its eyes on getting partnered up with an operator of one kind or another by the end of 2020. It’s a move leverages one of the best known brands in all of sports as a play for the exploding US sports betting market.
Sports Illustrated has already made the move from the dying world of print publications to an online format that racks up millions of unique visitors every month. Jamie Salter, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Authentic Brands Group (the official owner of SI) is wagering that moving into the sports betting market would take the company to the next level of internet traffic and unique viewers.
Salter know what he’s got in Sports Illustrated and that its iconic status imbues it with a level of trust that even the most reliable gambling operators would have trouble competing with. “We are super excited about the category as SI is the most trusted brand in Sports,” he told LegalSportsReport.com.
How, exactly, Sports Illustrated is going to shape their entry into the sports betting world has yet to be announced. Reports suggest that they would license their brand to an operator who would then have to navigate the challenges of landing a US sports betting license all on their own. However they tackle sports betting, it’s likely that Sports Illustrated will be very successful.