For The Win
Jake Paul offered to give Saquon Barkley one of his Ferraris if the Philadelphia Eagles running back could find a way to win Super Bowl MVP. A few days later, the video was gone.
Paul made the offer in a video posted to the social accounts of his fantasy and sportsbook company, Betr, in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. As it turns out, that was a big no no in at least one of the two states Betr is licensed for sports betting.
Ohio Casino Control Commission general counsel Andromeda Morrison told SBC Americas the advertisement was not in compliance with its sports betting regulations. As a result, Betr had to delete the video.
“As is common practice, the Commission reached out to Betr to ask them to remediate the non-compliant material,” Morrison said. “Betr has complied with the request.”
Now, look, I’m no expert on sports betting regulations, but it’s not hard to see how Paul’s offer to Barkley could be viewed as a conflict of interest. Intentional or not, the offer had the potential to drive Betr users and others within Paul’s massive following to bet on Barkley. As we found out Sunday, that would have benefitted the house, as Jalen Hurts ended up winning MVP.
So, why did Paul think it was OK? There’s any number of reasons, but first, it’s not the first time he’s made such an offer. Last January, he offered a Ferrari to Joe Flacco if the quarterback could take the Cleveland Browns to the Super Bowl — in a video still posted to Betr’s accounts today.
Paul also simply may not have known. Virginia, the other state where Betr is licensed, had no issue with the ad, according to SBC Americas.
Of course, Paul’s ignorance wouldn’t be a great excuse. As Betr’s co-founder and most front-facing ambassador, it’s his job to know accepted marketing practices everywhere. Which gets to the real root of Paul’s tactics. He likely knew he was toeing a line, and that was the point.
Betr accounted for less than one percent of Ohio’s sports betting market share in the state’s 2024 fiscal year report. It also owns less than one percent of the market share in Virginia. Betr desperately needs the attention, and Paul did something to get it.
Was it worth the risk of being non-compliant? Probably, if the only consequence was a strongly-worded email. Then again, it likely didn’t do much to help Betr’s market share problem. That’s a problem that needs a different kind of solution.
