Locker Room Labs Sports Technology Spotlight: James Santore

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of the Locker Room Labs Sports Technology Spotlight. In this series, we sit down with industry partners and experts to discuss the evolving world of sports tech including the incredible innovations being developed in the space. The next professional featured in this series is sports tech consultant and marketing professional, James Santore. We sat down with James to discuss his perspective on topics that are trending in the sports betting and technology industry.

How has the rise of social media platforms impacted the marketing and user acquisition strategies for sports technology companies such as Rithmm?

Social media allows for a company like Rithmm to create authentic communities. Social media gives everyone a platform and Rithmm provides a tool to allow creators to differentiate their content and stand out from the crowd by using complex data previously only reserved for data scientists. We have found success working with content creators and pages of all sizes through a variety of mediums, and our goal is to reach potential users wherever and however they consume their sports/betting content.

How do you navigate the complexities of regulatory environments when expanding your sports technology marketing services to different regions?

One of the best parts of Rithmm not taking bets within the app is that it allows us to operate as a data and analytics platform as opposed to a sportsbook. This is a major benefit for Rithmm in the sense that it allows us to scale geographically without the need to acquire licenses or get approved by any regulatory bodies. Another benefit of the global betting space is that there is a global market betting on US sports, allowing us to offer similar products across the world. As Rithmm grows, we hope to add more sports and features that appeal to a wider demographic of international bettors.

From a leadership perspective, how do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning within your marketing team at Three Two Strategies?

We have a small team at Three Two Strategies but we focus heavily on collaboration. We employ multiple interns from some of the top universities in the country and also have strategic partnerships with 15M Media, BV Sports Betting SEO Agency, and multiple other firms/agencies that allow my team and I to create and execute ideas that drive ROI and growth for our clients. At Three Two Strategies we believe that there is no such thing as a bad idea and want to give anyone that is a part of the team an opportunity to vocalize their ideas and make a difference!

How do you think technology can make sports more inclusive and accessible, particularly in reaching a diverse global audience?

While Rithmm has operated mostly in the B2C space up to this point, I personally believe our B2B opportunities can change the dynamic of sports and fan engagement. We drive people to watch and bet on games/teams/players that they might not otherwise be familiar with; This creates new, more engaged fans and also empowers fans to be more confident when speaking about matchups, betting, and data. Imagine a world where your friend doesn’t know a single player on the 76ers, but can use Rithmm to give you a rapid analysis of the best bets for a game in seconds. That’s the power of Rithmm.

I mentioned the fact that earlier that there is already a global market betting on US sports, and we’ve seen that by acquiring international users without marketing to them at all. As we add more global sports into the mix starting with Golf in April and hopefully tennis and soccer soon thereafter (we also have NBA, NCAAM, WNBA, NFL, NCAAF), I expect our global reach, and focus to rise.