Marc Pedersen Steps Down as Better Collective North America CEO After 18-Year Tenure

Building a North American Powerhouse

Pedersen played a pivotal role in Better Collective’s North American expansion, particularly after the 2018 repeal of PASPA opened the U.S. sports betting market.

As CEO since 2019, he led acquisitions of VegasInsider, RotoGrinders, Action Network, Playmaker, and Playmaker Capital, creating what he called a “dream portfolio.”

These moves secured leading positions in the emerging U.S. market, with revenues soaring from $260,000 in 2018 to over $100 million annually since 2022.

Pedersen’s team integrated six companies into a unified operation, built scalable revenue-sharing databases, and launched content projects with stars like Shaquille O’Neal and Jalen Brunson, amassing over 1 billion media impressions and downloads.

Challenges and Achievements

Pedersen noted that the North American market was “more challenging than initially expected,” making his team’s achievements, such as merging operations and driving exponential growth, especially gratifying.

He spearheaded roughly 25 acquisitions since Better Collective’s M&A strategy began in 2017, shaping its global footprint. Pedersen also contributed to public policy efforts on gambling regulations across U.S. states and Canadian provinces, strengthening the company’s advocacy.

On LinkedIn, he thanked founders Jesper Søgaard and Christian Kirk Rasmussen, praising their “remarkable” ability to execute visionary plans and their complementary partnership.

After his departure, Pedersen plans to take a sabbatical to reflect on his next career move, leaving no successor announced by Better Collective. “This company has truly been like a second home,” he wrote in his goodbye message on LinkedIn.