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.
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