Gambling in the USA
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – October 11-17
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! 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
Penn National Gaming has received approval from the Minister of Canadian Heritage under the Investment Canada Act for its acquisition of Score Media and Gaming. The acquisition is expected to be closed on 19 October 2021.
Sharp Alpha Advisors announced last week the final closing of Sharp Alpha Fund I, an oversubscribed $10 million venture capital fund investing in early stage sports betting technology companies.
Online gambling has reached Connecticut, on a limited basis. A soft launch of online sports betting and gaming has begun in Connecticut on October 12. This soft launch allows several hundred people to open accounts to wager for a seven-day period.
Terry Glebocki has resigned as CEO of Atlantic City’s Ocean Casino Resort. Glebocki’s exit reduces the number of female casino bosses after an unprecedented wave of female leadership. Just over a year ago, four of the city’s nine casinos were led by women, but two have since left.
Rush Street Interactive has soft launched a new PlaySugarHouse online sportsbook in partnership with Connecticut Lottery Corporation. From October 12 up to the full launch, 750 customers across the state can register and place bets at www.PlaySugarHouse.com and experience RSI’s award-winning sports betting platform, on a first-come-first-serve basis. Once the 750-player limit is reached, customers who pre-register at www.PlaySugarHouse.com will be added to a waiting list and notified as soon as the full launch is authorised.
NOVOMATIC Americas has showcased an extensive portfolio of products at the G2E 2021. At the centre of the product presentation stood the extended Progressives offer, premiering the new ULTRA BOOST Link. This multi-level Linked Progressive comprises three roaring 50-line titles: the magnificent Great American Buffalo, the iconic Great American Eagle and the Asian title Tiger Storm.
New Partnerships
Leading sports gamification company Low6 has announced a partnership with the NFL franchise Cincinnati Bengals. The deal between the UK-based gamification company and the NFL team from Ohio will see the release of free-to-play games “Bengals Picks” and “Ultimate Bengals”.
DraftKings has announced that it has agreed to a deal with the National Hockey League to become an Official Sports Betting, Daily Fantasy Sports and iGaming Partner of the league in the US. To complement the deal, DraftKings has also reached an agreement with Turner Sports, including Bleacher Report, to be the exclusive sportsbook and daily fantasy sports provider for their coverage of the NHL.
New Appointments
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has appointed retired Clark County Judge Jennifer Togliatti and former State Senator Ben Kieckhefer to the Nevada Gaming Commission. Togliatti will serve as chair – and will be the first female to serve as the chair. Togliatti has served the State of Nevada in the state judiciary for more than 25 years and has significant legal, administrative and legislative experience. Kieckhefer has spent the last decade serving in the Nevada State Senate, where he has spent time working on legislation on complex and contentious issues.
New Acquisition
Real estate firm EKN Development Group has acquired the Tahoe Biltmore Lodge & Casino located in Crystal Bay, Nevada.
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Canada
Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance
Wazdan, the player-centric developer, has further strengthened its notable North American presence by forming a partnership with FanDuel, a top iGaming company in the area.
The deal represents a crucial milestone in Wazdan’s continuous global growth, as FanDuel introduces two feature-packed games at the same time in Ontario and Michigan, enabled by Light & Wonder’s aggregation platform.
In Ontario, gamers can experience Mighty Fish: Blue Marlin and 36 Coins, two games that highlight Wazdan’s distinctive blend of familiar themes and performance-focused mechanics. In Michigan, 12 Bells and Hot Slot: 777 Crown will offer players captivating gameplay designs centered on clarity, rhythm, and extensive features.
After the initial launch, FanDuel’s famous iGaming platform, FanDuel Casino, will have its collection expanded by a wide array of new slot games, each meticulously selected to include various Wazdan features that enhance player engagement like Cash Infinity
, Hold the Jackpot, and Sticky to Infinity
, all aimed at increasing entertainment and providing tangible growth for operators.
The newest expansion capitalizes on Wazdan’s progress in North America, succeeding in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and previous entries into West Virginia.
Radka Bacheva, Head of Sales at Wazdan, said: “Partnering with FanDuel represents a major milestone in Wazdan’s North American growth strategy and underlines the strong demand for our engagement-driven portfolio across regulated markets.
“FanDuel’s reach and reputation make them an ideal partner, and launching simultaneously in Ontario and Michigan is a powerful way to introduce our games to new audiences. We are confident that our feature-rich titles and proven mechanics will resonate strongly with players and deliver tangible value for FanDuel as we continue to scale our presence across the region.”
The post Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Gambling in the USA
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
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
- 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.
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