Delaware North launches Ember Entertainment™ to unify casinos, digital gaming and rewards program

Global hospitality and entertainment company rebrands gaming business to create single ecosystem with connected experiences and seamless player journey

Rewards program and online gaming and social casino now linked

Delaware North, a global hospitality and entertainment company, today announced it is unifying its casinos, digital gaming and loyalty rewards program under a new brand, Ember Entertainment™, to create a single ecosystem with connected experiences and a seamless player journey for its gaming customers.

With the rebrand, Delaware North for the first time is integrating its brick-and-mortar casinos, rewards program and online gaming, sportsbook and social casino. The larger rebrand follows the recent debut of the new brand with the successful launch of Ember Casino™ New Jersey as Delaware North entered the state’s online gaming sector.

“Delaware North has created a cohesive identity for our gaming business that reflects modern consumer expectations and positions us for growth in a rapidly expanding category,” said Jason Gregorec, president of Delaware North’s gaming business, going forward as Ember Entertainment.

“The new omnichannel presence creates seamless customer engagement across all channels – physical, digital and experiential – connecting brick-and-mortar, digital gaming, sportsbook and rewards, as well as dining, lodging and retail at our gaming properties,” Gregorec said.

Here is how the rebrand is represented in Delaware North’s new omnichannel gaming experience:

Ember Entertainment ™(Overall Brand) — Delaware North’s gaming business had long operated under the formal subsidiary name of Delaware North Gaming & Entertainment, or simply as “Delaware North’s gaming business.” It will now be known as Ember Entertainment. “Ember signifies hospitality to guests while being accessible – representing warmth, energy, potential and transformation,” said Jill Eden, vice president of marketing for Ember Entertainment. “The idea of an ember sparking something larger naturally reflects the company’s vision of connecting physical casinos, digital gaming, rewards and entertainment experiences.

“This isn’t just a new name or a new logo. It’s a commitment to delivering an elevated, personalized experience for every single guest, whether they are visiting us in person or playing from home. Ember represents not just a new identity, but a more connected guest journey across every touchpoint,” Eden said.

The Ember Entertainment brand was largely developed in house by Eden, her marketing team and the Delaware North creative and brand teams, which have deep experience and expertise in brand development and management for the global hospitality and entertainment company.

Ember Rewards™ – The current Lucky North Rewards loyalty program is now Ember Rewards and can be used across all Ember Entertainment properties and includes online offerings as available. The new Ember Rewards app is available for download from the website and for Android in the Google Play store and for iOS in the Apple Store.

“Integrating physical and digital gaming through a unified rewards platform was a key objective in enhancing the overall customer journey and cross-property and cross-platform engagement,” Eden said.

Current memberships are automatically rolling over without a need for members to reapply. Within Ember Rewards, points-earning ratios and balances stay the same but with new on- brand tier names: Spark, Ignite, Flame, Blaze and Phoenix. Benefits include eligibility for various gaming offers, hotel stays, gifts, dining, casino amenities and travel packages, including with Carnival Cruise Line® and Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

In addition, the former Lucky North Destinations program is continuing as Ember Destinations, offering players access to destinations where Delaware North’s parks and resorts division operates, including Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks, Niagara Falls State Park and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

Ember Casino™ (Online Gaming) – Delaware North’s online casino, which had operated in West Virginia under the proprietary Betly brand, is now Ember Casino. In addition to the transition in West Virginia, the new brand recently debuted with the successful Ember Casino New Jersey launch, and Delaware North plans to expand Ember Casino to other states.

Ember Casino is powered by leading online gaming platform and services provider Playtech and features games from top online gaming content providers.

“Our focus is on creating unique player experiences that stand apart from a market that can sometimes feel very similar across operators,” said Lee Terfloth, Delaware North’s chief interactive gaming officer. “Delaware North has built a reputation around hospitality and industry-leading guest service, so the customer experience is also a major focus area in our online gaming space.”

Ember Sportsbook™ (Online Sports Betting) – Ember Sportsbook is replacing Betly for online sports betting in West Virginia and replacing MVGBet for online sports betting in Ohio. In Arkansas, Delaware North in March transitioned its Betly online sports betting platform through the company’s Southland Casino Hotel to DraftKings via a market-access agreement.

Ember Jackpot Casino™ – Ember Jackpot Casino replaces Lucky North Casino as Delaware North’s free-to-play social casino and is now integrated with the rewards program for the first time.

Available in 49 states, Ember Jackpot Casino continues to be operated by Ruby Seven Studios, Delaware North’s award-winning social casino development company, which has developed and operates social casinos for more than a dozen leading casino companies Brick-and-Mortar Casino Portfolio – While our gaming properties won’t be rebranded, they will be identified as Ember Entertainment properties and part of Ember Rewards.

Delaware North’s portfolio features the super-regional Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis Ark.; Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack and Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in West Virginia; Gate City Casino in Nashua, N.H.; Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack and Hamburg Gaming in New York; and Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club and Orange City Racing & Card Club in Florida. The company’s Mindil Beach Casino Resort in Darwin, Australia, will become part of Ember Rewards in 2027.

“This is the next major step in the evolution of Delaware North’s gaming business from becoming a leading racino operator 20 years ago to a fast-growing operator of superregional and regional casinos and other gaming venues, as well as online gaming,” Gregorec said.

The new omnichannel Ember Entertainment branding will also create marketing efficiency by enabling cross-channel campaigns, unified messaging and scalable promotions.

“There will be significant brand awareness where there had been little beyond the individual regional casino branding, creating instant recognition and credibility by linking all channels together,” Eden said.