Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – March 1-7

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 compliance updates. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Wynn Resorts has entered into a deal with Blue Wire and invested $3.5 million in the sports podcasting network. The deal includes the build-out of a podcasting studio in the Wynn Las Vegas lobby. That studio will host Blue Wire podcast personalities as well as star athlete guests to entice people to visit the hotel, get excited about sports and hopefully place bets on them. Wynn runs a subsidiary business called WynnBet, which handles sports betting, and the team specifically eyed Blue Wire to promote that brand.

PR agency 5W Public Relations (5WPR) has announced the launch of an online gambling public relations division. The creation of the new division will allow a focused and strategic approach to online gambling, casinos, lotto and sports betting clients. PR services for online gambling and lottery clients include messaging and positioning, media relations, visibility programmes, content creation, partnerships and celebrity relations, digital media campaigns, event planning, thought leadership and speaking opportunities.

Torstar Corporation has announced that it intends to launch an online casino betting brand this year in the regulated Ontario online gaming market. Torstar also announced key additions to its iGaming team, including Gil Steinfeld, a gaming industry veteran with expertise across all product verticals; Don Bourgeois, former General Counsel for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, who will oversee compliance, regulatory and legal matters; and Jim Warren, a senior executive and entrepreneur with 25 years of progressive leadership experience in politics and the gaming and lottery industry.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has announced that the state has reached an agreement with the Mohegan Tribe, owners and operators of the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, to allow new gaming options, including online wagering and sports betting. The deal includes a 20% tax rate on new online gaming and a 13.75% tax rate on sports wagering. The governor’s office said this new agreement will generate “tens of millions of dollars” in additional revenue for the state.

Payments platform PayNearMe has announced enhancements to its iGaming solution that enable U.S. operators to dramatically speed up the market and simplify the deposit and payout experience across a wide range of payment types through a single integration. PayNearMe’s expanded iGaming solution makes deposits and payouts easy for both players and operators.

The National Council on Problem Gambling has officially commenced Problem Gambling Awareness Month. In Ohio, the growing impact of gambling on families and businesses will be the focus of several events during this Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

Partnerships

Vegas Golden Knights has signed a multi-year deal with UpickTrade, a sports betting recommendation service. Through the deal, UpickTrade has become the Official Sports Pick Service Partner of the Knights. The partnership marks the first sponsorship deal between a Mexican-based company and an NHL club, as well as the first partnership between a professional sports franchise and a sports betting recommendation service.

BetMGM has entered into a deal with Borussia Dortmund and become the exclusive Regional U.S. Partner of the club. The partnership features cross-marketing opportunities as well as fan-focused assets such as social media promotions, and BetMGM customer sweepstakes awarding special Dortmund prizes.

Gambling technology company Playtech has signed a non-exclusive sports wagering deal with Novomatic Americas, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NOVOMATIC AG. The agreement builds on the long-term partnership between Playtech and NOVOMATIC, which jointly operates more than 10,000 kiosks worldwide. The strategic partnership will see Playtech’s sports wagering kiosk systems delivered through Novomatic ActionBook, the US market’s most popular sports wagering kiosk.

New Appointment

FanDuel Group has appointed Amy Howe to the newly created role of president. Howe joins FanDuel from Live Nation Entertainment, where she served for seven years, most recently as global chief operating officer of Ticketmaster.

Compliance Updates

International Game Technology and Scientific Games Corporation have announced that they have signed a cross-licensing agreement for patents related to cashless slot gaming technologies. Under the agreement, Scientific Games and IGT will be able to offer patented cashless gaming technologies from the companies’ combined portfolios of casino management systems solutions to the U.S. gaming industry.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has recommended approval of licenses for both William Hill and Bally’s. William Hill US, which has more than 120 sportsbook and kiosk locations across the state and is a subsidiary of the UK-based William Hill Plc, would become the centerpiece of Caesars’ sports wagering operation if the board’s unanimous recommendation is adopted by the Nevada Gaming Commission when it meets March 18.