BetMGM is bringing Jon Hamm back for a new football-season advertising push built around the slogan “It Happens Here.” The campaign centers on a made-for-the-shoot setting called the Legends Lounge and is meant to show off the sportsbook’s betting, casino and rewards offerings.
BetMGM said the work was created with the independent agency CAPE and marks the next chapter of its “Make It Legendary” platform. The company said Hamm anchors four new multi-channel spots, starting with “Raise the Stakes,” which debuted on Aug. 29.
The Legends Lounge is presented as a hybrid of a sportsbook, a casino, a speakeasy and a Las Vegas entertainment venue. BetMGM said it built the set for the shoot and plans future activations and experiences around the idea.
The campaign will run throughout the season across television, social media, digital channels, out-of-home placements and BetMGM properties. In a statement, Matt Prevost, BetMGM’s chief revenue officer, said the company wanted something that felt distinctly BetMGM while also drawing on MGM Resorts’ entertainment legacy.
Hamm, who has fronted earlier BetMGM work, said the Legends Lounge is “a world full of unexpected moments and memorable characters” and called the campaign clever, entertaining and fun. CAPE’s co-founder and chief executive, Casey Ritts, said the new work gathers together what makes BetMGM distinctive: sports, entertainment, iGaming and a bit of fun.
BetMGM said the project is the first major body of work under its expanded partnership with CAPE. The agency has previously produced the company’s responsible gambling campaign “Mullet Over” and the Borgata Online spot “Lucky Doe.”
The campaign arrived as the new NFL season began, when advertisers typically crowd in around Week 1. SportsBettingDime described BetMGM’s latest football-season effort as part of that wider wave of new gambling advertising.
