Gambling in the USA
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – March 29-April 4
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, financial results and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
Playtech has announced that it has entered a long-term lease in Michigan to house its first live casino studio in the US. This state-of-the-art studio will feature Playtech’s best-in-class technology and video capabilities from its flagship Riga studio. The scale of Playtech’s offering means it can offer integrated live content across retail and online channels and across product verticals, delivering live iGaming entertainment never seen before in the US market.
PointsBet Holdings has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary PointsBet USA and Penn National Gaming have agreed to extend the Online Gaming Services Framework Agreement dated 31 July 2019 to provide PointsBet with online sports betting and iGaming market access in Pennsylvania and Mississippi, subject to enabling legislation and licensure in each of those States. Pennsylvania currently permits online sports betting and iGaming.
Daily Fantasy Sports operator PrizePicks has announced the addition of premier esports titles Call of Duty, Rocket League and Valorant to its marketplace, a major step towards solidifying PrizePicks as the premier fantasy esports operator in North America. PrizePicks already features iconic AAA titles Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and League of Legends on its platform.
Airwaves Media Group has announced the launch of Airwaves Games Network, a multi-platform esports media and production company dedicated to live esports. AGN was founded by former OGN and CJ executives who produced premiere esports events including the 2019 Clash Royale League World Finals, PUBG Global Championship 2019 Group Stages and 2019 Summoners War World Arena Championships, among others.
Sportnco has taken its first step into the US iGaming market with the launch of the SuperDraft Free SportsBook App. The SuperDraft and Sportnco teams worked in close partnership to develop free-to-play betting product targeted at US sports fans. The app will offer players the opportunity to place bets and learn about sports betting without financial risk.
GAN has published its Q4 and full-year results for the period ended 31 December 2020, with full-year revenue up 17% to $35.2m. Annual Gross Operator Revenue increased by 73% to $545 million year-over-year and real money Internet gaming (RMiG) was up 6% to $25.6 million in 2020. Simulated (SIM) gaming revenue increased 66% to $9.5 million in 2020.
Partnerships
FOX Sports and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) have announced an expanded partnership agreement that establishes FOX Sports as the official wagering partner of NYRA Bets and the leading media provider for elite thoroughbred racing through the next decade. The prior FOX Sports/NYRA media rights agreement provided a FOX Sports subsidiary with an option to acquire a 25% stake in NYRA Bets. The FOX Sports subsidiary will exercise this option by the summer of 2021, pending final regulatory approval.
Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company has signed a two-year agreement to sublicense the Flamengo Esports brand to a team competing in the popular mobile game Free Fire. The licensing agreement includes a minimum fixed fee of $100,000, as well as 20% of all sponsorship and advertising revenue received by the team.
BetMGM has entered into a multi-year deal with Audacy. As per the deal, BetMGM has become the preferred sports betting partner of Audacy across all sports broadcast stations, digital platforms, BetQL app as well as BetQL Audio Network. The key partnership details include integrated content across Audacy’s broadcast sports stations, customer acquisition opportunities and talent endorsements across Audacy’s wide spectrum of local and national sports betting content.
PGA TOUR and theScore have entered into a content and marketing relationship designating theScore Bet as an Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR across the US and Canada. As part of the deal, PGA TOUR will begin to incorporate daily odds updates from theScore Bet within the TOUR’s live audio play-by-play, distributed via SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and PGA TOUR Digital platforms.
DraftKings and WWE have announced that DraftKings will become an Official Gaming Partner of WWE, subject to regulatory approval in all applicable jurisdictions. The collaboration centers on DraftKings’ popular free-to-play pools product and will launch with an inaugural free-to-play pool at WWE’s two-night pop culture extravaganza, WrestleMania, on April 10 and 11.
New Appointments
Intema Solutions has appointed Leigh Hughes to its newly-constituted advisory board. Leigh brings over 15 years of professional experience in integrated corporate and marketing communications and extensive experience in venture capital services and commercialisation of private and public companies across North America, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
fuboTV Inc. has appointed Ali Ghanavati as head of regulatory technology for its new Fubo Gaming subsidiary. Ghanavati’s extensive gaming career includes roles as chief engineer and as deputy chief of the Technical Services Bureau of the State of New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, where he consulted with numerous state agencies and gaming jurisdictions regarding casino gaming regulation and standards.
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has appointed iGaming innovator and leader Joe Bunevith as its Director of Client Solutions. In this role, he will work closely with GLI’s sales, compliance and engineering teams on issues relating to new technologies, client onboarding, new jurisdictions and business solutions. Most recently, he served as Director of Interactive Gaming for Synergy Blue in Las Vegas.
Compliance Updates
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has imposed an $18,000 fine to MGM Springfield after finding three separate “unacceptable” failures that resulted in underage persons being allowed to gamble and, on one occasion, being served alcohol.
Score Media and Gaming Inc. has secured access to the Illinois sports betting market through an agreement with Harrah’s Joliet Hotel & Casino, a Caesars Entertainment property. Subject to receiving all relevant licenses and approvals from the Illinois Gaming Board, the Company anticipates launching its mobile sportsbook, theScore Bet, in Illinois in the second half of calendar 2021.
In an exciting development for sweepstakes operators across the US, CasinoWebScripts has announced a significant milestone: the release of more than 200 in-house developed sweepstakes casino games. This achievement highlights the company’s commitment to innovation and its dedication to providing high-quality, engaging gaming experiences without the burden of monthly revenue sharing.
CasinoWebScripts’ unique approach allows operators to rent these state-of-the-art games for a fixed monthly fee, eliminating revenue share, GGR% fees, and usage limitations. This model ensures that operators can offer top-tier entertainment to their players while enjoying predictable, straightforward billing.
Further enhancing their sweepstakes software, CasinoWebScripts has introduced an array of features tailored specifically to the needs of the US market. Players can now earn free coins for various activities such as verifying their email, confirming their phone number, and inviting friends. Additionally, the introduction of a VIP program and a complex Affiliate Program brings more value to the player experience, with customizations that resonate with the US audience.
To ensure a seamless operation for its clients, CasinoWebScripts has also created strategic partnerships with prestigious third-party providers for essential services like KYC, credit card processing, and anti-fraud measures. These collaborations have resulted in a fully integrated solution that allows operators to run their business smoothly, without worrying about missing components.
Oscar Stevens, Product Manager at CasinoWebScripts, said: “Achieving this milestone reflects our team’s dedication and commitment to excellence and innovation. Our suite of over 200 sweepstakes games and the comprehensive features we’ve rolled out are designed to set our clients apart in the competitive US market. We are committed to providing solutions that are not only user-friendly but also ensure a secure and engaging gaming environment for players.”
EveryMatrix is live with Supremeland Gaming, Inc. on DraftKings, its first exclusive content aggregation partnership in US.
The partnership will see Supremeland Gaming, through its American-based game studio Powderkeg, develop exclusive content on EveryMatrix technology, while also enabling EveryMatrix to distribute its games and provide additional gamification features such as free spins and tournaments for the US market via its SlotMatrix aggregation platform.
Supremeland Gaming’s content, via SlotMatrix, is now available on DraftKings in New Jersey with further states pending.
EveryMatrix is the industry’s largest content aggregator and has secured commercial agreements with several tier-1 operators in the US through SlotMatrix including DraftKings with its in-house content live in New Jersey and Ontario.
It has more than 300 global customers with North American licences in Ontario, New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Erik Nyman, President, EveryMatrix Americas, said: “At the core of the EveryMatrix product strategy has been to deliver its world-leading casino productivity and aggregation platform to the US market.
“Today, we have enabled our first partner Supremeland Gaming to go live and our customers can facilitate bonus capabilities for third-party games which has been never seen in this market until now. Powderkeg develops high-quality games and we are confident players will enjoy them.”
Rickard Öhrn, CEO of Supremeland Gaming, said: “This major milestone represents the first step on an exciting journey we are undertaking to deliver mischievous, innovative, and really fun-to-play online games to a broader audience through our partnership with EveryMatrix.”
Gambling in the USA
INFRONT BETTOR EXPANDS NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RUSH STREET INTERACTIVE AGREEMENT
Key Partnership Across RSI Brands BetRivers and RushBet Includes Access to Infront’s Official ITF Data and Streams from 2025.
Infront Bettor, Infront’s betting-focused division, has successfully secured a strategic partnership with Rush Street Interactive Inc NYSE RSI (“RSI”), one of the leading operators in the Americas and the online operator of BetRivers in North America and RushBet in Latin America.
The new agreement covers Infront’s extensive portfolio, including access to the official fast path data of all International Tennis Federation ITF events, exclusively distributed by Infront Bettor from 2025. Official feed data directly from the umpire’s chair will be made available for over 58,000 matches from the Men’s and Women’s World Tennis Tour, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the Davis Cup. The corresponding video streams will also be distributed for a large portion of these matches.
The deal also covers Infront’s wider streaming portfolio from more than 40 global rights holders across soccer, basketball, and ice hockey. This includes top European soccer competitions such as France’s Ligue 1 Uber Eats from the 2024/25 season and premium ice hockey tournaments such as the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
Diogo Almeida, Head of Sales, Infront Bettor said: “Our venture into the US betting landscape marks a significant milestone for the bold plans we have for Infront Bettor, and partnering with a key player, like RSI, in the industry is obviously the best way to significantly bolster our presence in this rapidly expanding market. It also ensures that fans have unmatched access to top-tier global sports events, which will be perfectly complemented with 24/7 betting opportunities through our partnership with the ITF.”
Richard Schwartz, CEO of Rush Street Interactive, said: “This partnership is a pivotal step for us in enhancing our offering to make sure we have premium and round-the-clock coverage for our customers. We are also very proud to continue to deliver the ITF to our bettors through next year, offering an enhanced tennis package that will see us consume more events than ever before. We know Infront has plans to offer a more immersive tennis betting experience, adding supplementary betting markets through collecting level 2 and level 3 data, and we look forward to seeing these come to life next year.”
For more information, visit infront.sport.
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