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.

B2B iGaming supplier EveryMatrix has obtained Completed Application status issued by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).

To successfully operate in the U.S., EveryMatrix will further require customer integration approval as part of the transactional waiver process to receive the green light to ‘Go Live’. By receiving Completed Application status from the DGE, EveryMatrix has provided all required application information on the company and its key officials in line with New Jersey’s law and iGaming standards.

Since Garden State’s gaming regulation came into effect in 2014, the industry has grown to a whopping $6 Billion in 2020.

Erik Nyman, President Americas at EveryMatrix, says: “I am very pleased that DGE has accepted as complete the application filings of the EveryMatrix Group of companies. Certainly, this is an important milestone for us and puts us on the verge of making our world-class platform and services available to licensed operators in the U.S. market.

“Since New Jersey regulated online gaming in 2014, their framework has played an important role for other states in their process to regulate and implement online gaming. We are very excited to soon be live in New Jersey while we are engaging in several license processes across the U.S.”

As a leading B2B provider of turnkey platform, casino, and sportsbook, EveryMatrix’s expansion plans gained shape in August 2020 with the opening of EveryMatrix Americas branch. To date, the company is on the fast track of securing a full operating license in New Jersey and is pursuing licensing in several other U.S. states.

EveryMatrix is making strides in the U.S., key milestone including the opening of its first U.S. based office in Miami, Florida, and the newly inked partnership with iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA) to make new ties to the U.S. iGaming industry.

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 and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

SLING TV, a leading live TV streaming service, has launched a new exclusive sports betting information channel in collaboration with DraftKings. SLING TV subscribers and SLING Free users can now view real-time game scores and betting odds on the DraftKings Basketball channel. SLING TV will also launch DraftKings Baseball and DraftKings Hockey channels in the coming weeks. The expansion of the DraftKings sports betting information channels on SLING TV comes after the two companies announced a strategic agreement across DISH’s portfolio of brands to bring DraftKings’ sportsbook and daily fantasy experiences directly to its customers nationwide. DraftKings is a leader in sports betting and daily fantasy sports space in the US.

Churchill Downs Incorporated has launched TwinSpires Sports mobile app in Indiana and TwinSpires Casino & Sports app in Pennsylvania. The Company also launched its online sports betting operations in Colorado with TwinSpires Sports mobile app and desktop product. TwinSpires players in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Colorado will now be able to bet on professional sports including NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and PGA, as well as collegiate sports and events from around the world. In Pennsylvania, online casino players will be able to enjoy traditional casino games such as blackjack and roulette, as well as a large selection of online slots and “live dealer” games.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has reached an agreement with the state’s Seminole Tribe that would expand gambling in the state, including the introduction of legalised sports betting. The tribe would be allowed to offer sports gambling at its casinos in South Florida and near Tampa and will be allowed to license horse tracks, jai-alai frontons and former dog tracks to accept such wagers on its behalf for a share of the income, the Republican governor announced. The tribe will also be allowed to introduce craps and roulette at its seven casinos, including the popular Hard Rock near Fort Lauderdale. The state would get at least $2.5 billion from the tribe over the first five years and at least $6 billion by 2030.

Betway’s parent company Super Group is nearing a deal to go public through a merger with blank-check acquisition firm Sports Entertainment Acquisition Corp at a valuation of about $5.1 billion. The deal comes as Betway, which has its roots in Europe, expands in the US. Betway has also agreed to acquire Digital Gaming Corp, tapping the online sports betting and gaming market in 10 U.S. states. Shareholders accounting for more than two-thirds of Super Group’s equity will maintain their stakes under the deal. Sports Entertainment’s executive chairman Eric Grubman will become chairman of Super Group and Sports Entertainment CEO John Collins will join Super Group’s board.

The Brazilian Institute for Legal Gambling (IJL) has called for the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to set a date to discuss the decriminalisation of gambling in Brazil. Although the regulation of gaming in Brazil has been held up, it could see a good resolution with a favorable ruling from the STF. The judicial body has yet to judge resolution 966.177, which could decriminalise gambling. So far there is no official date for this to happen. The court had originally set April 7 as the date to evaluate the appeal but it didn’t have time to do so. Since then it has been delayed indefinitely. The IJL is now pushing for a new date to be set for the dispute to be resolved.

Partnerships

TikTok has partnered with Enthusiast Gaming and e.l.f. Cosmetics to launch “TikTok Gamers Got Talent”. Premiering Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM EST, this content series will mark the inaugural search for the TikTok gaming community’s hidden talents. This exclusive seven-week live series will follow contestants as they show off their diverse talents and compete in front of millions of fans for a chance to win $25,000 and e.l.f. products. From guitar riffs to trick shots to cooking and everything in-between, TikTok Gamers Got Talent is an opportunity for gamers and gaming fans on TikTok to showcase their most impressive skills to a panel of celebrity judges.

Global esports organisation Gen.G and American gas station brand Conoco have joined forces and hosted a first-of-its-kind college esports rivalry week between University of Colorado and University of Montana esports programmes. This marked Conoco’s first-ever activation in the esports space. Rivalry Week was a two-day event pinning the Buffaloes and Grizzlies against each other in Rocket League on April 27 and Minecraft on April 29. The livestream was distributed via Katz LIVE across CTV platforms.

A partnership between Mazooma, the gaming industry leader for bank account-based payments, and Fifth Third Bank is bringing real-time withdrawals to sports wagering and iGaming industries through the RTP network from The Clearing House. The offering, now live for all of Mazooma’s operators, enables players to receive payouts immediately into their bank accounts safely and securely. Immediate payouts are a win-win for both players and operators. Players enjoy peace of mind with the option to access their winnings instantly. For the gaming operator, real-time withdrawals offer a better user experience than any other payment method available.

New Appointment

Rush Street Interactive has appointed Lauren Seiler as Associate Vice President of Investor Relations and Development. Ms. Seiler brings to RSI over 17 years of diversified Wall Street experience, with 12 of those years being gaming-centric. As a long-time industry specialist, she brings an in-depth knowledge of iGaming, sports wagering, land-based operations and finance, along with extensive relationships within the buy and sell-side investor communities to the organisation. In this newly created role, Ms. Seiler will lead RSI’s Investor Relations efforts, while also working with the team to drive RSI’s growth, development, and M&A initiatives.