Gambling in the USA
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – October 19-25
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, new partnerships and new appointments. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
Global gaming giant William Hill has expanded its footprint in Iowa through its partnership with Caesars Entertainment, with the addition of a full-service sportsbook at Horseshoe and betting kiosks at Harrah’s Council Bluffs. Customers can visit either retail location to open a mobile account and make their first mobile deposit.
Caesars Rewards, the largest gaming loyalty programme in the world, has grown 20% as a result of the merger between Caesars Entertainment and Eldorado Resorts. Customers from each company’s legacy rewards programmes were seamlessly integrated into the expanded Caesars Rewards loyalty programme on day one.
JCM Global has expanded its partnership with Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort, upgrading the Intelligent Cash Box (ICB) system to the new ICB 3.0 on the property’s 1200 electronic gaming machines. Clearwater Casino Resort was the first casino in Washington to utilise the ICB system and has been an exclusive JCM customer since 2009.
BETSPERTS CEO and co-founder Reid Rooney has announced that BETSPERTS has just closed a second seven-figure fundraising round in 2020. This round includes some new investors to BETSPERTS including UK-based Velo Partners leading the round.
Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam Adelson have donated $75m to the pro-Trump Preserve America Political Action Committee, accounting for roughly 90% of the group’s fundraising in September.
Chinese-owned mobile games firm Playtika Holding Corp has confidentially submitted paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering. The company said that the offering size and the price range for the initial public offering have not been determined yet.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has openly endorsed Question 2 on the state’s November ballot, which would allow sports betting in Maryland to raise money for education. According to an analysis by the Maryland General Assembly, legal sports betting could generate $18.2m in tax revenues in 2022.
New Appointments
Score Media and Gaming has appointed sports business leader and four-time Olympian Angela Ruggiero to its Board of Directors. Ms Ruggiero, CEO and Co-Founder of technology-powered market research firm Sports Innovation Lab, joins the Board with immediate effect and will support theScore as it continues to grow its sports media and gaming operations across North America.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has appointed A. Duncan Hannay as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective 26 October 2020. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Street Capital Group Inc.
New Partnerships
Live sports lottery game developer EquiLottery Games has entered into an agreement with the National Basketball Association (NBA) that will see EquiLottery launch a new, officially-licensed lottery draw game named Slam Dunk Dollar$ based on the outcomes of NBA games.
North American esports giant Complexity Gaming has expanded its partnership with beer brand Miller Lite. The two companies have had a partnership since May 2019. Now the deal has been expanded to include more areas such as live streams and content creation.
New Launchings
International Game Technology (IGT) has launched the PeakSlant32 cabinet, the first slot cabinet in North America to feature three 32-inch displays. PeakSlant32 is IGT’s first cabinet to feature three seamlessly integrated gameplay displays. Guests of Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut were the first to enjoy exciting IGT slot games on more than 20 of the eye-catching PeakSlant32 cabinets.
Compliance
Buenos Aires City Lottery (LOTBA), the gaming regulatory body in Buenos Aires, has approved the Programme for the Implementation of the Online Game Platform presented by Codere. This is the first step in an ongoing process for obtaining the license in this jurisdiction, Codere stated in a press release.
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Dr. Jennifer Shatley
New Trade Association Launches Unprecedented Effort to Strengthen Responsible Online Gaming, Promote Best Practices
The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), an independent trade association launched by seven of the largest U.S. legal mobile gaming companies, will actively promote a new industry-wide best practices charter, overseen by one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of responsible gaming (RG).
This unprecedented effort will be led by Dr. Jennifer Shatley, a deeply respected responsible gaming executive with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. She will serve as ROGA’s full-time Executive Director, and her role will be to facilitate widespread education to all relevant parties on the subject of responsible gaming.
ROGA will embark on a series of initiatives under Dr. Shatley’s direction. These include research, consumer and industry responsible gaming education and awareness, promoting responsible gaming best practices, an independent data clearinghouse, and an independent certification program.
Demonstrating their commitment to this endeavor, initial member companies – who together represent more than 85% of the legalized online sports betting and iGaming industry – have pledged more than $20 million in support of ROGA’s mission in year one. ROGA’s member companies include BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital, and PENN Entertainment.
“I am humbled, honored, and excited to be selected to lead ROGA during this important period of growth in legalized mobile gaming. Many of America’s largest legal mobile gaming operators will be establishing a framework that helps to aid in responsible gaming education and awareness. Together, our members will work alongside researchers, experts, regulators and stakeholders to promote responsible online gaming and maximize our efforts to support additional responsible gaming education and awareness. By coming together with a clear set of objectives, ROGA and our members will work to enhance consumer protections and help provide easier and more efficient access to responsible gaming tools for consumers to enjoy the entertainment of online gaming,” said Dr. Shatley.
Compliance Updates
Play’n GO awarded Pennsylvania license
Play’n GO has continued on its upward trajectory in North America by landing its latest US iGaming licenses and will soon supply its award-winning content portfolio to operators and players in Pennsylvania and Delaware
These licenses are the fifth and sixth obtained by the Swedish gaming giants in the USA, following New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, and Connecticut.
Play’n GO have taken a dual-pronged approach to its strategy in North America, with these US licenses being complimented by the company’s success north of the border in Canada, where Play’n GO was one of the first suppliers to be licensed to supply slot games in the province of Ontario.
Although early in its American journey, Play’n GO games such as Piggy Blitz, make regular appearances in the top 15 most popular titles in all of North America*.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer for Play’n GO, said: “Play’n GO content is the most conducive to player retention across the industry. With player acquisition costs sky high in the US, we’re pleased to be able to offer operators in Pennsylvania access to our content which will keep players coming back for more.
“We are determined to be the number one casino gaming supplier in every regulated market in the world, and given that we are thriving in more than 25 jurisdictions around the world where we have a license, we fully expect a similar success story in Pennsylvania in the coming years.”
Play’n GO is set to release more than 50 online slot titles in 2024 and is active in more than 25 regulated jurisdictions worldwide, including Ontario, New Jersey, Michigan and West Virginia in North America.
Experi-MENTAL
Lightning Box concocts scientific experiment with new release Experi-MENTAL
Light & Wonder, Inc. (NASDAQ and ASX: LNW) (together with its subsidiaries, “Light & Wonder” or “L&W”) announced the launch of its new game, Experi-MENTAL, stacked with features, modifiers and a clash with the mad scientist.
Experi-MENTAL has two in-game features to enhance the overall player experience.
This 3×5 title, exhibits the distinctive Expanding Wild Feature, which can award huge prizes for players should the Wild Brain symbol expand and replicate by five times during the Free Games round.
When players enter the mad scientist’s lab, they will stumble across the Upgrading Feature, which zaps the 9, 10, J, Q, K or A symbols into high-paying icons, including Test Tubes, Power Switch, Cat, Pug or Man. The wins are then accumulated and paid out once the reels have stopped spinning.
The Barrel Pick Feature can radio-activate the feature by awarding an extra 15 Free Games, as players are presented with highly dangerous barrels with an unknown material.
A meter appears when players select a barrel, with a red area and a green area in view. Landing on the meter’s green area ensures the Free Games round is triggered and additional games are awarded but landing in the red zone activates only the round itself.
The classic Free Games mode is unlocked when Scatter symbols appear, with five Scatters granting the maximum of 10 Free Games and the Barrel Pick Feature. During the round, Free Games can be retriggered at any time.
Experi-MENTAL is set to go live with Caesars in New Jersey, Michigan and Ontario initially, and will be available at a later date to customers of Light & Wonder’s industry-leading OPENGAMING platform.
Michael Maokhamphiou, Studio Director at Lightning Box, said: “Experi-MENTAL is one Wacky slot game, and we believe it can propel our slots onto the next level.
“During this game, players can unlock some new features, which add a dramatic element to this slot and classic round that are a cornerstone of Lightning Box’s portfolio. We are in no doubt will love taking on the mad scientist in this epic title.”
Rob Procter, VP of Game Development at Light & Wonder, said: “2024 is going to be a big year for Lightning Box and the launch of Experi-MENTAL gives players the opportunity to showcase this thrilling game.
“With a variety of different features exhibited on this captivating title, it sets Lightning Box apart from its competitors, ensuring the player experience is unrivalled.”
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