Betr Co-Founder Jake Paul sat sullenly at a table, his head down.

Paul was just told a bettor, OddsJam co-founder Alex Monahan, won $60,000 in one night on Betr Picks (Betr’s fantasy product) by taking advantage of an odds boost.

“I’m firing whoever did that promo,” Paul said.

Monahan took Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani to both hit home runs at 10 times a regular payout, and the two superstars both went yard on the early July night to help Monahan win big.

“I knew just [from] checking dozens of other sportsbooks that they’re really mispricing this,” Monahan explained in a YouTube video about his winning plays. “It should be closer to an 8X payout, 7X payout, but they’re giving us a 10X payout.”

Monahan, who has over 100,000 followers on X, estimated Betr may have paid out $10 million that one night between him and other customers tailing his bet. While Monahan’s estimated payout might be inaccurately high, July 2 was likely a tough night for Betr Picks regardless of the exact financial hit.

Paul’s sarcastic response to Monahan’s win, which Betr shared on social media, garnered nearly two million views on X. While the wagers certainly hurt Betr’s bottom line, could the humorous social media interaction hold positive marketing benefits for Betr, which is struggling to gain notable traction in the industry?

It’s unlikely the viral sequence does much for Betr, according to industry analyst Adam Rosenberg.

“Betr is a unique case because they don’t have a brand problem when Jake Paul is the face,” Rosenberg, who has worked with numerous sports betting companies (including Sports Handle’s parent company Better Collective) on their marketing and public relations efforts, said.

Rosenberg says brand recognition isn’t Betr’s problem, but rather it hasn’t caught up to major players in the sports betting industry due to other factors. The company’s focus on microbetting hasn’t attracted wagers at a volume the company might have hoped.

Betr’s sports betting app is available in Ohio and Virginia, and it plans to enter Maryland soon after recently being awarded a license. Despite plans to grow, users aren’t flocking to the platform. The app generated the lowest handle of any Ohio operator in May, with it reporting $220,674 worth of bets. Betr actually lost $24,559 in Ohio in May.

The story in Massachusetts – for the time Betr operated there – wasn’t much better. Betr’s market share in Massachusetts was less than 0.1% before the operator left the state.

Joey Levy, the company’s CEO and co-founder with Paul, insists Betr isn’t playing the market share game right now. Eventually, however, investors will want Betr to make a bigger mark financially.

Don’t expect Monahan’s impressive win and the viral interaction to be the spark that moves the sportsbook to the top of bettors’ minds.

“When this stuff happens, it’s usually a PR benefit for a brand that doesn’t always have a lot of recognition, not a brand that is struggling business wise,” Rosenberg said.

While Betr’s sports betting revenue and handle figures are low, the operator is moving forward with plans to enter other states, which could lead to increased brand awareness and revenue totals. In addition to its expected Maryland entrance, Betr has plans to enter Colorado and Kentucky in the near future. Betr expects to unveil an improved sportsbook product prior to the start of the 2024 NFL season, which could captivate new users.

Betr also hopes to launch an online casino product in Pennsylvania. A push to mobile casino apps, which most major operators view as a lucrative path forward in coming years, could be a beneficial move for Betr to deliver a return to investors.

Currently, however, Rosenberg feels Betr’s offerings and plan feel a bit disjointed.

“They don’t know what they want to be,” Rosenberg said.

While Betr leaning into Monahan’s winning night made for engaging social media posts, questions remain on whether Betr can translate viral social moments into a long-lasting gambling brand.