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

John Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Pollard Banknote Limited, has been inducted into the Public Gaming Research Institute’s Lottery Industry Hall of Fame. Each year, the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame’s members nominate and vote on industry leaders who promote excellence, integrity and success in the lottery industry. John Pollard, along with five other recipients, will be honored in a virtual ceremony on October 14.

WarnerMedia is going to join the growing parade of media firms eager to court consumer interest in sports betting. During the coverage of NBA’s Western Conference Finals, TNT will present an alternate live-streamed feed of the games that includes commentary on betting analysis and odds. The feed, known as “TNT Bets” and made available to cable and satellite subscribers via the Watch TNT app, will be hosted by Bleacher Report’s Cabbie Richards, Kelly Stewart and Tim Doyle, and the leading gaming company FanDuel will provide real-time statistics and information.

Elaine Wynn, who has 8.84% stakes in Wynn Resorts Limited, the biggest among single shareholders, has reportedly dropped her quest to secure a position in the board of directors of the company. She made this announcement during a fitness hearing held by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. She reportedly revealed that she accepts her age of 75 years is a constraint for such positions.

Betfair has announced that it is withdrawing from the NJ betting market due to disappointing results and because the state is getting its first sports betting exchange. Betfair entered the NJ market back in 2015, but generated a sports betting handle of just $12.4 million in 2018. Now, Sporttrade, a sports betting startup, is to introduce a proprietor betting exchange for the state via an agreement with Twin River Worldwide Holdings.

New partnership

ESPN has entered into two separate multi-year agreements with Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings. The deals include co-exclusive link integrations across ESPN digital platforms connecting fans to sportsbooks from Caesars Entertainment’s sports betting partner, William Hill, and DraftKings.

New Appointment

US gaming company DraftKings Inc. has appointed Erik Bradbury as its Chief Accounting Officer and principal accounting officer. His appointment came into force on September 10. Mr. Bradbury, who has about 16 years of experience in accounting, will report to Jason Park, the CFO of the company.

New Launching

Sports book operator William Hill has announced the launch of its mobile sports betting app in Illinois, in partnership with Caesars Entertainment’s Grand Victoria Casino. The William Hill Mobile App is built on a proprietary platform, offering an easy and seamless betting experience. The app offers multiple deposit and withdrawal options. The app has enhanced technology features, such as a biometric login and a quick-bet option.

Compliance

Online gaming platform provider Dench Solutions has obtained a compliance certificate to act as a gaming test house of Gaming Laboratories International. The company was awarded the GLI-19 standard for its ability to meet strict security standard requirements when dealing with customer data.

The Virginia Lottery Board has approved the proposed sports betting regulations after the fifty-six day public consultation period ended on September 9. As part of the public consultation, it received 183 comments from various companies and sports leagues. The Lottery’s deputy director Gina Smith said each comment was read and reviewed.

NetEnt is set to launch its award-winning games in West Virginia with iGaming operator BetMGM. This marks NetEnt’s first entry into the Mountain State.

NetEnt has teamed up with fast-growing iGaming group BetMGM in a partnership that is set to further increase the supplier’s reach in key US markets. Backed by GVC Group and MGM Resorts, BetMGM is soon to launch NetEnt content in West Virginia, which opened the doors to online casinos on July 15, marking the first time NetEnt’s internationally renowned content will be available in the market. NetEnt recently received a temporary license from the regulating authorities in West Virginia.

The agreement follows a strong period of growth for NetEnt in the US, after recently reporting triple-digit increases in quarterly gross gaming revenue in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“BetMGM’s rapid success in the US has been impressive and shows no signs of slowing down, making this a significant deal for our company as we continue to expand across the country,” says Brian Kraft, NetEnt Vice President Commercial, Americas. “Thanks to the strong performance of our games locally, the US is now a major revenue driver for NetEnt and we look forward to working with BetMGM to accelerate growth of both our businesses.”

Matthew Sunderland, VP Gaming at BetMGM, said: “We have already seen great success with NetEnt content in New Jersey. Their team really understand what appeals to gaming customers and I am positive this will serve as a major advantage as we strengthen our existing casino offering in West Virginia.”

eInstant supplier to expand its omnichannel catalog

IWG, the world’s leading instant win games supplier to WLA/NASPL lotteries, has partnered with lottery marketing services provider, Alchemy3, to develop omnichannel licensed games for the North American lottery market.

As part of this new partnership, IWG will combine its industry standard eInstant mechanics with Alchemy3’s wide range of popular brands to create games that bridge lotteries’ retail and digital sales channels.

Already, IWG and Alchemy3 have launched a SKEE-BALL® game with the Pennsylvania Lottery that is simultaneously offered in digital eInstant, retail Scratch-Off, Keno, and Fast Play formats. Players can play SKEE-BALL® in one of the retail versions, and collect a promotional code that awards free play of the online version.

Together, IWG and Alchemy3 have plans to expand into IWG’s North American lottery client network through its Progressive Play RGS. Partnering with Alchemy3 allows IWG to enhance and diversify its product portfolio, providing its lottery partners with established content and themes.

Rhydian Fisher, IWG CEO, said: “This is an exciting partnership for us that will enable us to deliver high impact, omnichannel offerings to our ever-growing partner list. Branded games are a great way to connect play across retail and digital. We’re sure that Alchemy3’s popular brands along with our proven industry expertise will result in exciting new eInstant and cross-channel experiences.”

Jeffrey Schweig, President at Alchemy3, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with the team at IWG and can’t wait to see the launch of these new games in the North American lottery market. The Company is highly-regarded for delivering the best eInstant games to the lottery sector and we’re confident players will come to love the new concepts that they will be developing over the coming months.”