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

Online casino content provider Pragmatic Play has expanded its presence in Latin America through the launch of its slots and live casino products with Boldt’s Bplay brands in Argentina and Paraguay. Players registered at Bplay.com.ar and Bplay.com.py, are now able to enjoy leading slot titles such as Wolf Gold and Sweet Bonanza, as well as all Live Casino offering including its latest Game Show release – Mega Wheel.

Boyd Gaming Corporation has announced that it awarded more than $145,000 to non-profit organisations across the country in the Company’s annual holiday competition “Wreaths of Hope.” More than 135 non-profit organisations participated in the 2020 competition, decorating wreaths that were displayed online and at Boyd Gaming properties nationwide. Winners were decided directly by Boyd Gaming customers, who were invited to vote for their favourite charities online and in-person at select participating properties.

Partnerships

Shift4 Payments and Sightline Payments have entered into a strategic partnership to power online gaming and sports betting for casinos and sports venues. This partnership between the two leading fintech companies will deliver a seamless payment experience for patrons of hospitality, online/mobile gaming, on-premise gaming and sports betting venues. Sightline’s online/mobile gaming and betting solutions complement Shift4’s end-to-end payments offering to deliver an all-inclusive payment ecosystem for casinos, sports venues and other hospitality businesses.

BetRivers.com has entered into an exclusive content deal with former NBA coach George Karl. The new partnership makes George Karl an exclusive sports betting endorser of the BetRivers brand. Coach Karl will serve as the company’s brand ambassador and spokesperson and will be engaged in great upcoming promotions and events on BetRivers platforms.

Global esports organisation Gen.G has partnered with McDonald’s Southern California franchisees to organise a series of esports initiatives focused around Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs. Specific events will include a multi-week play-in tournament for employees only and a three-day NBA 2K21 All-Star tournament to determine the best young players in Southern California.

Scientific Games Corporation has extended its existing seven-year instant games and hybrid lottery games contracts with Loto-Québec through 31 January 2022. Scientific Games is a trusted supplier to Loto-Québec for more than five decades, recently celebrating the Lottery’s 50th Anniversary and employing generations of workers from the east Montreal area of Québec. Scientific Games, creates and produces games for Loto-Québec and four Canadian provincial lotteries from its Montreal, Quebec manufacturing facility.

Appointment

Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. has promoted Steven Ladany to the role of senior vice president and chief development officer. In his new role, Steven will lead the Company’s ongoing merger, acquisition and development efforts. Steven joined GLPI in September 2014 as Vice President, Finance and served in that role until March 2019, when he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Finance.

Compliance

Churchill Downs has secured approval for sports betting in Tennessee. Churchill Downs drew approval from the Tennessee Lottery’s Sports Wagering Committee, joining FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings and Tennessee Action 24/7. Churchill Downs’ sportsbook, BetAmerica, is rebranding as TwinSpires. BetAmerica is live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

Australian operator PlayUp has expanded its footprint across the US by acquiring a sports betting license in New Jersey. This is the second market access agreement that PlayUp has announced after the recent acquisition of their Colorado license. To gain the license, PlayUp entered into a multi-year deal with FR Park Racing (FRP) which is the sports wagering certificate holder and operator of the Freehold Racetrack. FRP is owned by Pennwood Racing, and the ultimate 50/50 partners of Pennwood are Greenwood Racing, Penn National Gaming, and Parx Casino.

Rainbow Six Siege developer Ubisoft has extended its partnership with major payment platform PayPal until September 2022.

The collaboration is centred on Rainbow Six Siege esports competitions, including both European and North American leagues, their regional Finals, the Six Majors, and the Six Invitationals, along with the Rainbow Six World Cup.

Geoffroy Sardin, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing at Ubisoft, said:

“We are happy to welcome back PayPal as a key partner to accompany us as we keep on growing our Rainbow Six Esports scene. PayPal highly contributed to the success of our previous esports leagues and events, and we’re confident they will continue offering the great experiences and content we envision for our community.

“We are excited to kick off our collaboration with the European League Finals and North American League Finals this January and to unveil the full extent of the partnership over the months to come.”

Jill Cress, Vice President of Consumer Marketing at PayPal, said:

“Video games are at the heart of the digital industry and are expected to grow continuously to $200 bln in the coming years.

“On its own, esports already accounts for an audience of more than 92 million enthusiasts in Europe and is expanding at a fantastic pace with unprecedented community engagement. We are happy to collaborate with Ubisoft once again to offer to their community new and exclusive experiences.”

UK Gambling firms have been accused of concocting a “dodgy dossier” to exaggerate the scale of black market betting, in an attempt to influence an upcoming government review expected to result in tougher regulation.

Gambling industry figures recently seized on a report claiming that 200,000 people in the UK spend £1.4bn on black market sites every year, warning that tougher regulation could drive more people into the arms of “unscrupulous” operators.

But in a letter to a cross-party group of MPs examining gambling-related harm, the Gambling Commission’s chief executive, Neil McArthur, delivered a withering assessment of the report.

The boss of the gambling regulator said the report, written by consultancy PwC, was “not consistent with the intelligence picture” and did not distinguish between real consumers using black market sites and bots or other automated systems.

He said the report should be treated cautiously, adding that it lacked any evidence to show an increase in illicit betting.

“We know that licensed operators and their trade bodies are concerned about the impact of the illegal market, but our own evidence suggests that the impact may be being exaggerated,” he said.

McArthur said black market concerns should be kept in proportion “despite … reports from consultants paid for by the industry, and should not distract from the need to continue to drive up standards and make gambling safer in the regulated market.”

Such direct criticism from the regulator will be a blow for the industry lobby group, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which has repeatedly referred to the report to back its arguments against stricter regulations.

The government is considering a range of measures that could involve limiting stakes on online virtual slot machines, or forcing web-based casinos to carry out thorough affordability checks if customers deposit a certain amount per month.

McArthur dismissed BGC’s suggestion that such measures could fuel a surge in black market operations.

“In any event, we are not convinced by the argument that suggests that raising standards in the licensed market will prompt consumers to gamble with illegal operators,” he said.

The Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who chairs the MPs’ group that receive the letter, said: “The online gambling industry talks up the threat of the black market in an attempt to resist regulation and protect its profits, but trying to hijack the debate by manufacturing dodgy dossiers of information to further their own ends is an incredibly transparent tactic and will not be any kind of excuse to hold down standards.”

The BGC and several of the UK’s major betting companies, which commissioned the report, refused a request to provide a copy.

But the Guardian has since obtained both a draft version, dated April 2019, and a final version, dated July 2019.

The two appear identical except that the final version removed a reference to the three firms that commissioned it, Ladbrokes owner GVC, William Hill and The Stars Group, which owned SkyBet and has since merged with Paddy Power owner Flutter.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, a former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn who runs the campaign group Clean Up Gambling, said: “The gambling industry has been quoting from this report as it attempts to drive a race to the bottom in regulation. Having finally seen the contents, it’s clear why it was reluctant to make this report available for public scrutiny.”

A BGC spokesperson said countries with tougher regulation than the UK had bigger black market problems.

“We have repeatedly called on the government to use the online harms bill to crack down on access to these sites, and we would support financial service providers being obliged to block black market transactions,” he said.