• by Larissa Faw , April 20, 2021

Soho Experiential is rolling out an affiliate marketing program designed to capitalize on the growing sports betting industry to help restaurants and bars recover after the pandemic.

The program, dubbed Betting University, helps hospitality establishments create and run their own sports betting experiences.

The customized program includes marketing assets, training, and brand ambassadors to help participants create a customized “pop-up” ranging from on-location for as little as three hours or all day as the host of an ongoing tournament.

Guests age 21+ are invited to sign up with one of several sportsbooks apps as well as make an initial deposit on the account.

The program is conducting test runs in Colorado and Illinois — selected as “battleground markets” — with the plan of extending nationally as legalization spreads. The restaurants and bars typically are drawn from Soho Experiential’s pre-existing relationships developed over the past 16 years.

The agency’s team reaches out to the appropriate owners and managers to introduce the “BetU” program to showcase the benefits. The participants later pay a commission to the agency.

“The idea came about squarely from our work dealing with categories that have high barriers to entry and big education gaps like the cannabis, beer and spirits spaces,” explains Jeff Boedges, managing director, Soho. “The fact is, beyond a handshake bet or a Super Bowl box pool, the average person is not an educated sports gambler, so our solution was to develop a method for people to get educated in a fun, but relatively risk-free manner. Since college sports comprise a significant percentage of sportsbook wagers, the brand BetU was born.”