Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – May 3-9

Published

5 years ago

May 11, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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 acquisitions and compliance updates. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Playtech has partnered with Parx Interactive and Gun Lake Casino to launch Play Gun Lake, a new iGaming app for Michigan. The iGaming app will be powered by Playtech’s IMS platform and Player Account Management (PAM) and will feature Playtech proprietary iGaming content.

Wynn Resorts has announced that its two Las Vegas Strip casinos – Wynn and Encore – will return to full capacity, effective immediately. The group said it received the green light to operate at 100% from the Nevada Gaming Control Board after reporting that 88% of its employees had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

BetMGM has announced the launch of BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker in Pennsylvania, giving customers access to benefits tied to Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City as well as other MGM Resorts’ casino-resorts nationwide. Pennsylvania is the third state to introduce BetMGM Poker and the second to introduce Borgata Poker, both powered by partypoker US Network.

The Washington State Gambling Commission has reached a tentative agreement with the Suquamish Tribe to amend its Class III gaming compact to add sports wagering. The Tribe operates its III gaming facility located on the Kitsap Peninsula on the Port Madison Indian Reservation. This is the second sports wagering tentative agreement in the state and this amendment establishes the framework for sports wagering at the Tribe’s Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort.

Penn National Gaming has launched Penn Game Studios, an in-house content development team focused on creating exclusive iCasino content for its customers. To fuel this effort, the Company is acquiring HitPoint Studios and its spun-off real money gaming company LuckyPoint. The acquisition is expected to close in the near term, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

PointsBet Holdings has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary PointsBet Michigan has been authorised by the Michigan Gaming Control Board to commence iGaming operations and has launched its proprietary iGaming platform in that state. The launch of PointsBet’s iGaming operations follows the launch of Sports Wagering in Michigan on 22 January 2021. PointsBet plans to launch iGaming in New Jersey in June.

Financial Report

Caesars Entertainment has reported the operating results for the first quarter of 2021. Net revenue is $1.7 billion, an increase of 259.2% on a GAAP basis and a decrease of 16.0% on a same-store basis versus the comparable prior-year period.

New Acquisition

Catena Media has acquired Lineups.com, an online sports affiliation company. The total purchase price amounts to USD 39.6 million, payable in cash in three installments during a two-year period. An additional contingent cash payment of USD 0.5 million is payable if certain requirements are fulfilled within three years of the transaction date.

Compliance Update

Free Bets US is now licensed in New Jersey to market online sportsbooks and casinos with New Jersey Vendor ID 0092299. Being licensed in New Jersey as a vendor allows Free Bets US to generate commissions from online sportsbooks such as BetMGM and Borgata by promoting Free Bets in NJ.

Gambling in the USA

IGT Games Deliver Giant Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in January

Published

8 hours ago

February 25, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

igt-games-deliver-giant-million-dollar-plus-jackpots-in-january

IGT announced that its Wheel of Fortune Slots, Powerbucks, and MegaJackpots games awarded four momentous jackpots in January.

Lucky slots players won the following million-dollar-plus jackpots last month:

• On January 5, a Wheel of Fortune Slots player won $1,132,199 playing Wheel of Fortune Super Cash Link at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss.

• On January 8, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,657,823 playing Whitney Houston Powerbucks slots at Lake City Casino Vernon in British Columbia, Canada.

• On January 15, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,056,637 playing Gong Xi Fa Cai Grand at ACE Casino Red Deer in Alberta, Canada.

• On January 18, an online slots player won $1,247,834 playing MegaJackpots Cash Eruption on Caesars Palace Online Casino in New Jersey.

Wheel of Fortune slots have minted over 1200 millionaires and awarded over $3.6 billion in jackpots since their launch in 1996. IGT Powerbucks slots have paid 74 jackpots of CA$1 million or more since their Canadian debut in 2016.

The post IGT Games Deliver Giant Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in January appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

AI in lottery

Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering

Published

21 hours ago

February 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

scientific-games-appoints-rich-wasserman-as-senior-vice-president-of-product-engineering

Scientific Games has appointed Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering, reinforcing its commitment to advancing lottery systems technology and digital innovation.

Based in Atlanta, the global lottery provider continues to expand its technology leadership as one of the fastest-growing suppliers of retail and digital lottery solutions worldwide.

Leadership Experience from Amazon, Facebook and Stitch Fix

Wasserman brings more than 20 years of experience leading engineering, data science and product teams across high-performance technology platforms.

He previously held senior leadership roles at:

Amazon
Facebook
Stitch Fix

At Stitch Fix, he served as Vice President of Engineering and Data Science, leading automation, AI-driven systems and platform optimization initiatives. Wasserman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a Computer Science degree from the University at Buffalo.

Driving Innovation Across Global Lottery Platforms

In his new role, Wasserman will oversee Product Engineering across Scientific Games’ global portfolio serving more than 150 government-regulated lotteries. His responsibilities include advancing:

Retail lottery systems
Digital lottery platforms
Hardware and software innovation
Data analytics and AI capabilities
Consumer engagement technologies

CEO Pat McHugh stated that Wasserman’s experience scaling AI-powered platforms at world-class technology firms will help accelerate innovation and deliver next-generation lottery solutions focused on sustainable growth.

Strengthening Lottery Technology Leadership

Scientific Games continues to invest in technology, analytics and digital transformation to enhance consumer experiences across retail and online lottery channels. The appointment underscores the company’s strategy to integrate advanced analytics and machine learning into its global lottery ecosystem.

The post Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Gambling in the USA

Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering

Published

21 hours ago

February 24, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

Former Amazon, Facebook and Stitch Fix Exec to Lead Product Engineering for Global Lottery Provider

Scientific Games has named Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering. Wasserman brings more than 20 years of experience leading global engineering, data science and product organizations across complex, high-performance technology platforms.

As the industry’s fastest-growing lottery systems technology provider, Scientific Games continues to invest in technology and talent to deliver seamless consumer experiences across lottery retail and digital channels.

Wasserman previously held senior leadership roles at Amazon and Facebook, where he led large-scale systems powered by advanced analytics and machine learning. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Engineering and Data Science at Stitch Fix, leading integrated teams focused on automation and platform optimization. Wasserman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a degree in Computer Science from the University at Buffalo.

In his new role, Wasserman will lead Product Engineering across Scientific Games’ global product portfolio serving government-regulated lotteries, advancing hardware and software platforms to accelerate innovation, expand analytics capabilities and consumer-engagement to deliver long-term value for lottery customers worldwide.

“We’re excited to add Rich’s deep technical expertise scaling innovative, AI-driven platforms at world-class organizations to further strengthen Scientific Games’ technology leadership,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer of Scientific Games. “As we continue investing in innovation and analytics across retail and digital lottery solutions, his experience and leadership will help us deliver the next generation of high-performance products that drive sustainable growth for our lottery customers worldwide.”

Scientific Games serves more than 150 lotteries globally with a comprehensive portfolio of retail systems, digital platforms, instant games and analytics solutions.

The post Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.