Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – December 14-20

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 acquisitions. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

New Jersey has become the first state in history to post a legal sports betting handle of more than $900 million. NJ sportsbooks generated $931 million in wagers in November, breaking the previous record of $803.1 million set in October and marking the fourth consecutive month the state has set an all-jurisdiction record for handle.

iTech Labs, a testing and certification laboratory for the global online gaming industry, has added Buenos Aires and Panama to its growing list of online gaming jurisdictions. With over 16 years of specialising in the online gaming space, iTech Labs has built a solid place for itself in the industry, with many of the world’s leading online gaming companies turning to iTech Labs for their certification needs.

Further to the announcement on December 11 from the Ontario provincial government that certain businesses in certain regions, such as casinos, will be restricted further for indoor gathering limits, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation has suspended the gaming operations at Elements Casino Grand River from December 13. Currently, only seven of the Company’s 26 properties are open with the 5 Ontario properties operating with a guest capacity of fifty, Casino New Brunswick operating with 25% of pre-closure capacity, and Casino Nova Scotia Sydney operating with 20% of pre-closure capacity.

Casinos in Pennsylvania have once again been ordered to close their doors as part of the new Covid-19 restrictions in the state. Governor Tom Wolf ordered the casinos to close until January 4. Wolf’s mandate covers other indoor entertainment venues, theatres, museums, gyms and activities in public gathering spaces. Indoor dining at restaurants is also prohibited.

Wind Creek Bethlehem casino closed for the second time this year, but it plans to continue to pay its active employees throughout the three-week shutdown. Wind Creek issued a statement pledging to pay its 1600 “active salaried and tipped employees.” The closure includes the casino, its restaurants and hotel. The Wind Creek Event Centre and Vision bar remain closed. The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem will be open at a reduced maximum capacity of 50% in line with the new state requirements.

New Partnerships

BetWinner has entered into a partnership with ESPN’s flagship programme SportsCenter, a daily national and international sporting events highlights show, to increase its footprint in Brazil. The four-month partnership will see BetWinner’s imagery and QR code appear in the Sportscenter programmes.

FanDuel Group has entered a strategic business deal with The Cage Companies to launch online and retail sportsbooks in South America and the Caribbean. The new relationship brings together Cage’s experience in the region with FanDuel’s premier brand and industry-leading sports betting platform.

Las Vegas-based gambling firm GameCo has entered into a partnership with sports betting solutions company USBookmaking. The partnership will launch the first-ever dedicated esports sportsbook in the US and will be available digitally at Sky Ute Casino Resort for all players in Colorado.

New Acquisition

Genius Sports Group Limited has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sportzcast, a leading manufacturer of sports scoreboard data distribution systems. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

New Appointment

Lia Nower, JD, PhD, Rutgers University Professor and Director of its Centre for Gambling Studies, has joined the Board of Directors of the National Council on Problem Gambling. Nower is currently Chair of the NCPG Research Committee and has served on several other committees. She is also Director of the Addiction Counselor Training Certificate Programme in the Rutgers School of Social Work and a research affiliate with the Gambling Treatment Unit at the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre.