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Episode: The Future of Sports Betting Marketing: AI, Brand Experience & Celebrity Ads | Casey Hurbis
Host: Ryan Alford (Radcast Network)
Guest: Casey Hurbis, Chief Marketing Officer, BetMGM
Date: October 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this dynamic episode, host Ryan Alford interviews Casey Hurbis, CMO of BetMGM, exploring the rapid transformation of sports betting marketing. They discuss the impact of AI, the evolution of digital branding, BetMGM’s latest “Make It Legendary” campaign with Jon Hamm, and Casey’s philosophy on brand experience and leadership. The conversation offers rare, unfiltered insights into high-stakes marketing at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and sports betting.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Marketing’s Fast-Paced Evolution & The Role of AI

• Unprecedented Speed of Change
  • Casey notes how drastically and quickly marketing has evolved in recent years, emphasizing that AI is accelerating this change faster than any previous media or technology advancements.
    • Quote: “The pace, the speed of which this business is changing is the fastest I've ever seen it… so much of it is data led.” – Casey Hurbis [00:34]
• Shifting From Old School to AI-Powered Personalization
  • They reminisce about print ads and newspaper days, contrasting with today’s real-time, segmented, and personalized approaches.
    • Quote: “How do you use AI… Ryan’s in North Carolina while he's watching the Panthers… How do we serve him a soccer ad because that's relevant to you?” – Casey Hurbis [09:10]
• AI’s Power in Segmentation and Scale
  • AI is leveraged for serving personalized offers and content, driving one-to-one marketing experiences.
    • Quote: “Now the speed and the opportunities and markets that we open up are endless… AI certainly, yes, anyone you talk to is going to be leaning into it.” – Casey Hurbis [08:25]

2. The "Make It Legendary" Campaign & Celebrity Endorsement

• Strategic Brand Refresh
  • With Jon Hamm joining as BetMGM’s new spokesperson, the aim was to elevate and evolve the brand beyond its previous campaigns with Jamie Foxx.
    • Quote: “We developed the core creative idea, make it legendary… We want to do some storytelling, connectivity, and creating a brand that truly speaks to players.” – Casey Hurbis [11:30]
• Data-Driven Celebrity Selection
  • Focused on finding a relevant, trustworthy, and creative partner through research—not just star power for its own sake.
    • Quote: "We started with maybe 30 talent and we did research… as Jon Hamm kind of started rising to the top, oh my gosh, relevant today, relevant to a wide area of players and demographics." – Casey Hurbis [12:00]
• Brand & Experience Duality
  • The campaign is designed to make both the brand and the player’s experience legendary, leveraging the broader MGM ecosystem for more than transactional loyalty.
    • Quote: "You also better back it up, right?... We have nine properties in Vegas, you know, on the Strip... over 40% of our players visit Vegas every year. They love the idea of the connectivity from BetMGM to MGM." – Casey Hurbis [13:30]

3. Brand Building, Differentiation, and Loyalty in a Crowded Market

• Competing in a Noisy, Competitive Space
  • With 60–70 operators in some states, BetMGM’s ecosystem and experience are central to standing out.
    • Quote: “It's a very noisy space… this is kind of like credit cards. I have five credit cards. I use one or two… Our players have the opportunity to take advantage of the MGM ecosystem.” – Casey Hurbis [14:14]
• Ecosystem as Differentiator
  • MGM’s land-based assets, reputation, and loyalty programs are critical in driving ongoing engagement.
• Brand Trust & Care
  • Emphasizes the importance of trust and genuine care for customers, whether buying cars, taking out mortgages, or placing a bet.
    • Quote: “People want to be taken care of and they know… if I'm spending my hard-earned money that a brand is there to take care of me and provide me an experience.” – Casey Hurbis [15:01]

4. Creative Process & Campaign Execution

• Massive Production and Content Atomization
  • Describes the complex creative process: a 9-day shoot for six spots, resulting in over 5,000 assets across TV, digital, social, and print.
    • Quote: “We actually shot for nine days. It was an ambitious production… six spots in the campaign… probably 5,000 assets after it's all said and done between digital, social, print, photography…” – Casey Hurbis [16:28]
  • The approach now integrates top-down hero content with modular, platform-specific creative.
    • Quote: “Now you come to one of my sets and it's like cut, turn photography, cut, turn, green screen, cut, turn, wild lines…” – Casey Hurbis [17:41]

5. Defining and Measuring Success

• Balancing Financial Health & Brand Growth
  • Success metrics go beyond acquisition to focus on deeper engagement, retention, and premium player experience—moving players through the “middle of the funnel.”
    • Quote: “One is obviously… to be financially healthy… for us… how do you create that healthier middle part of the funnel? Whether it's players that have engaged with us, maybe they've stepped away…” – Casey Hurbis [18:45]
• Premium Player Focus
  • Special effort is being made to elevate service for VIP and premium mass audiences.
    • Quote: “Our brand certainly serves that audience well and now it's more of a concentrated effort of raising that level of premium mass players for us.” – Casey Hurbis [19:42]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Legacy Campaigns:
  "When a piece of work… comes to life, you step back and you feel proud to have it on your reel or share it with your friends. It’s a great feeling." – Casey Hurbis [04:23]

• On the Realities of Big Brand Work:
  “Sometimes the right [feedback] too. I’ll take feedback from anywhere. I always try to remind myself… if this was easy, everybody would do it. Let’s not take the path, path of least resistance. Let’s push. Let’s be different.” – Casey Hurbis [03:53]

• On the Timeless Nature of the Marketing Funnel:
  “Even though this world is moving so fast. The funnel is the funnel… It's like credit cards... What’s going to entice somebody to download the app?... then what is going to make them use BetMGM?” – Casey Hurbis [20:06]

• On Leadership & Culture:
  “We’re very blessed to with some really solid agencies, creative and media and… we’re also in house agency… creating tens of thousands… assets on annualized basis supporting our marketing media plans.” – Casey Hurbis [20:54]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:34] - Casey Hurbis on the speed of change in marketing & data-led strategies
• [03:42] - The reality of producing major brand campaigns
• [05:39] - Marketing evolution: From print to digital to AI
• [08:25] - AI in segmentation, personalization, and player experience
• [10:30] - The “What’s In It For Me?” principle and attention economy
• [11:30] - The story behind “Make It Legendary” and working with Jon Hamm
• [13:30] - The dual promise of legendary brand and legendary experience
• [16:28] - The scale of production and asset creation in a modern campaign
• [18:45] - What success looks like for BetMGM and the future focus
• [20:06] - Navigating the marketing funnel in a fast-moving category

Conclusion

This episode provides a candid, inside look at what it takes to build and market a modern brand in the intensely competitive sports betting space. Casey Hurbis shares hard-won lessons on leadership, the necessity of agility, and the vital role of AI and data in crafting personalized, high-impact experiences. The discussion also offers a masterclass in celebrity marketing, content creation at scale, and standing out in a crowded, noisy market.

Whether you’re a marketing professional, business leader, or just fascinated by brand building at the next level, this episode is rich with actionable insights, stories, and bold perspectives—presented with energy, authenticity, and plenty of laughs.