Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – February 8-14

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! It was again an eventful week in the USA, despite the still-active virus attack.

Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

The Argentine game and platform developer Vibra Gaming has announced that it has received the approval of its RNG by Gaming Laboratories International. This certification is a vital step for Vibra Gaming’s games to be made available for distribution by operators and in jurisdictions requiring this level of technical standards and compliance.

American poker legend Chris Moneymaker has signed with online poker site Americas Cardroom. The new ACR Team Pro made the announcement during the live stream of the $8 Million Venom, which saw its prize pool reach $9,435,000. The Venom is the biggest online poker tournament for U.S. players and consistently smashes records with each incarnation.

Detroit’s three casinos, MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Greektown Casino, have reported $90.84 million in monthly aggregate revenue in January, the first full month the venues were open since shuttering in November under state orders tied to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a report released by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, table games and slots collectively generated $86.78 million in revenue last month. Retail sports betting generated a total of $4.06 million in revenue.

Pollard Banknote Limited has announced that Ms.PAC-MAN, the iconic pop-culture powerhouse, has re-joined its portfolio of licensed properties. Under license from BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., Ms.PAC-MAN fits seamlessly into Pollard Banknote’s Retro Collection – an ever-growing and diversified selection of recognisable retro brands including PAC-MAN, GALAGA and DIG DUG.

INTRALOT has announced that it has reached a binding agreement with Nexus Group in Peru to sell its entire stake of 20% in Intralot de Peru SA, an associate of INTRALOT Group, for a cash consideration of US$21million. The Company also signed a three-year extension of its current contract with Intralot de Peru SA through 2024, to continue to provide its gaming technology and support services.

Connecticut Lawmakers are planning to legalise online gambling to help fund the state’s Pledge to Advance Connecticut (PACT) programme. A group of Democratic legislators unveiled plans to legalise additional forms of gambling. The new tax revenue that it would derive should be allocated to the state’s PACT programme, they say.

Plans for a casino in Hawaii are not moving forward after a recent proposal was rejected by lawmakers. The members of the House Economic Development Committee voted to reject a proposal to bring a casino to Kapolei. The plans were submitted by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and would have created a gambling venue to support the state agency in charge of placing Native Hawaiians on homestead property.

Bud Smith, former chairman of the British Colombia Lottery Corporation, has told a public inquiry that he warned cabinet ministers about the risks of high-end gaming. Smith told the inquiry into money laundering that he had warned finance minister Mike de Jong and New Democrat Attorney General David Eby about the risks of gaming where bet limits reached $100,000 or over.

Partnership

The Canadian Gaming Association has entered into a partnership with the iGaming Academy to launch a full online training solution, including up-to-date compliance and skills training courses and a robust Learning Management System (LMS), all specialised for the gaming industry. This new partnership will ensure that the gaming companies in Canada are able to easily access high quality, regulator-approved training content year-round.

WynnBET, the online gaming division of Wynn Resorts, has announced a marketing collaboration with the Memphis Grizzlies. The announcement comes less than two weeks after WynnBET was approved as an operator in Tennessee by the Sports Wagering Committee of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp.

Online sportsbook PointsBet has become an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League (NHL). The long-term agreement between PointsBet and the NHL spans across both the US and Australia. As part of the partnership, PointsBet receives rights to use NHL marks and logos, as well as a variety of NHL sponsorship and promotional opportunities for its brand across various linear, digital and social media assets.

DraftKings Inc. and the National Football League (NFL) have signed into an agreement to expand their current daily fantasy sports (DFS) and content partnership to Canada. The new deal further deepens the relationship between the two organisations and enhances the DFS fan experience in Canada as the NFL season approaches the Super Bowl.

Compliance

Coljuegos, the gambling regulator in Colombia, has awarded a five-year igaming license to sports betting exchange Betfair. The license will allow Betfair to operate betting on real sporting and non-sporting events, online slots, roulette and blackjack.