When Adam Greenblatt grew up in South Africa, he closely followed a lanky shooting guard from the United States who led North Carolina to an iconic victory in the 1982 NCAA men’s basketball national championship.
Greenblatt, the chief executive officer of BetMGM, watched from afar, thousands of miles away, as Michael Jordan lifted the Tar Heels to a win over georgetown on a clutch jumper from the left wing. Several future NBA stars took the court that night, including Jordan’s teammates James Worthy and Sam Perkins, as well as Patrick Ewing and Eric “Sleepy” Floyd for Georgetown. On Monday, when North Carolina goes live with mobile sports betting, BetMGM will make its debut in the Tar Heel State.
Given Greenblatt's affinity for Jordan, the state will take on added importance.
“The University of North Carolina has a special place in my heart because it was the only U.S. school that I knew existed when I was living in Cape Town — Michael Jordan was my childhood idol,” Greenblatt told at last week's iGaming Next conference. “We are bringing one of the leading apps in the country to the state.”