{"id":250780,"date":"2023-01-02T13:44:16","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T19:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=250780"},"modified":"2023-01-02T14:01:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T20:01:11","slug":"betfred-bets-big-on-the-cincinnati-bengals-we-can-punch-above-our-weight-in-ohio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/betfred-bets-big-on-the-cincinnati-bengals-we-can-punch-above-our-weight-in-ohio\/","title":{"rendered":"Betfred Bets Big on the Cincinnati Bengals: “We Can Punch Above Our Weight’ in Ohio”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday night isn\u2019t just a big night for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. It\u2019s also a big night for Betfred.<\/p>\n

\"Betfred\"<\/a>
Fans walk by the Betfred Gate at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati after the Bengals beat the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 29, 2022. In the background, the Betfred logo can also be seen atop the stadium’s south end scoreboard. Betfred is the Bengals sports betting partner and one of several sports betting operators that went live in Ohio on Sunday. (Image: Casino.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Monday also marks the second day for live legal sports betting in Ohio, which just happens to be the site of one of the biggest NFL regular season games<\/a> and a possible playoff preview.<\/p>\n

There are several online sports betting apps that will be available for bettors to choose. But only one will have its brand showcased inside Paycor Stadium for the crowd and the national television audience to see.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s Betfred, the British-based bookmaker. It\u2019s currently active in nine US states, and Bryan Bennett, Betfred\u2019s US COO, told Casino.org<\/em> the company has plans for Ohio to be its flagship state.<\/p>\n

We want Ohio to be our top market,\u201d <\/strong>he said Sunday during a launch party at Fowling Warehouse in Cincinnati. \u201cWe made a big bet here and a big investment. And we’re going to be aggressive.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While it\u2019s one of the larger bookmakers in the United Kingdom, Betfred finds itself far behind the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel in states where it operates. It generated some publicity in recent months after it was one of the books to take a Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale<\/a> wager on the Houston Astros. That cost Betfred $5 million after the Astros won the World Series. That likely gave it more exposure (both the positive marketing kind and the negative financial kind) than it had before in the States.<\/p>\n

Now, the operator hopes to parlay its partnership with one of the NFL\u2019s hottest teams for even more exposure. Again, that could work both ways. The Bengals have the second-longest active winning streak in the NFL at seven games, and are becoming a trendy pick to win the Super Bowl after making a surprising run to the championship game last season.<\/p>\n

At Betfred as of Monday afternoon, the Bengals have 8-1 odds to win next month’s Super Bowl. That’s the fifth choice on the board, with the Bills<\/a> the favorite at +390.<\/p>\n

Bennett said McIngvale has reached out about possibly coming up to the area, and he said Betfred would take a bet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would prefer not to be in a position where I have to root against the Bengals in the Super Bowl,\u201d Bennett said with a smile. \u201cI really want them (to win), even though it will cost us money. Even on a casual bettor level, I know it is, but you can’t buy that kind of publicity.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Getting the Name Out<\/h2>\n

Betfred\u2019s association with the Bengals officially began in July, when the company and the team announced they would partner for an online sports betting license<\/a> in Ohio. Since then, Betfred has worked to develop a high-profile presence in Cincinnati, one of the state\u2019s largest cities with a metropolitan population of roughly 2.3 million.<\/p>\n

\n

A big part of that has been to build awareness of the brand at Bengals home games this season. There\u2019s signage for Betfred behind the north end zone and on the stadium\u2019s south end video scoreboard, and the company has sponsored pregame tailgating areas throughout the year. It’s also a sponsor for one of the main entrance gates into the stadium.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Betfred hosted a New Year\u2019s Eve party at the Moerlein Lager House located in The Banks, a development between the Bengals\u2019 Paycor Stadium and the Reds\u2019 Great American Ball Park. That party also celebrated the company\u2019s official launch in the state right after midnight.<\/p>\n

Revelers were also watching the Georgia-Ohio State Peach Bowl game, which was also concluding as the countdown to 2023 wound down. Ohio State ended up losing when it missed a last-second field goal try.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalf the bar went nuts, and half the bar was crying,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n

Betfred took its first bet in Ohio just moments later, he added.<\/p>\n

“We Need to Own Cincinnati”<\/h2>\n

On Sunday afternoon, as a full slate of NFL games were broadcast, Betfred hosted another event at Fowling Warehouse, where people could play a game where you try to knock down pins by throwing a football. There, the operator also held a sports betting competition and gave away bonus bets and Bengals tickets.<\/p>\n

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Second stop in Cincinnati today is at Fowling Warehouse for @BetfredSports<\/a> Ohio launch party. <\/p>\n

What is Fowling? It's a combination of football & bowling, with maybe a bit of cornhole as well pic.twitter.com\/EuwaqhMnH0<\/a><\/p>\n

— Steve Bittenbender (@CasinoOrgSteveB) January 1, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n