Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – March 15-21

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

Konami Gaming’s DIMENSION 49J video slot cabinet and All Aboard video slot series have got nominated in three separate categories in the Annual EKG Slot Awards by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming. DIMENSION 49J has been nominated for Top Performing NEW Cabinet, while All Aboard has been nominated for Top Performing NEW Premium Game and Top Performing Proprietary Branded Game.

Caesars Entertainment has announced a $32.5 million expansion to its Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. Construction is set to start on April 1 and the project is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The expansion is expected to create more than 100 new casino jobs. Currently, Indiana Grand has about 100,000 square feet of gaming space. The 25,000-square-foot expansion will provide space for 100 new slot machines and 25 additional gaming tables.

NASCAR partner WynnBET, the digital gaming division of Wynn Resorts, has launched the WynnBET mobile app in the Commonwealth of Virginia in conjunction with being awarded an online sports betting permit in the state. With the recent announcement from the Virginia Lottery, WynnBET is now a legal gaming operator in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the WynnBET mobile app has been launched for sports betting enthusiasts to register and use throughout the state. Players who are 21 years of age or older can now download the app on Apple or Android devices with a $500 risk-free bet.

Inspired Entertainment has generated total revenue of $71.7m and adjusted EBITDA of $34.9m in the fourth quarter of 2020. These results include a payment from a UK LBO customer related to the company’s contractual revenue share of their value-added tax rebate, which positively impacted revenue by $32.5m and adjusted EBITDA by $31.7 million (in conjunction with third party fees).

Gross gambling revenues at MGM Springfield rose in February to $16.89 million, up from $14.5 million in January. But gross gambling revenue at the downtown casino still lags pre-pandemic figures in a pattern that holds true elsewhere and reflects the hospitality industry’s continued efforts to rebound from COVID-19 and the shutdowns necessary to prevent its spread.

Partnerships

Sportsbet.io has signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with Copa do Brasil. The agreement involves collaboration between the two brands, visibility on signs (LEDs and static), panels and rugs on the lawn, in addition to the traditional backdrops and materials in digital media. According to Justin Le Brocque, Head of Marketing at Sportsbet.io, this association with the national tournament is more of a connection with the Brazilian fan and a reason for pride for the company.

Pragmatic Play, a leading content provider to the gaming industry, has extended its presence in South America through its new partnership with Grupo Cordialito in Venezuela. The operator, one of the largest in the South American nation, will soon gain access to the supplier’s complete collection of Slots, including its latest titles, such as Eye of the Storm and Joker King, as well as its leading Live Casino products and the Virtual Sports offering.

FanDuel Group has announced a new multi-year partnership with two-time NBA champion and Inside the NBA analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith. This new partnership designates FanDuel as the exclusive sports betting and daily fantasy provider for Kenny Smith. Additionally, Smith will appear in FanDuel advertising and TNT promotions featuring FanDuel’s free-to-play contests. Smith will also provide unique content for FanDuel Group’s social media channels.

Dignitas and HyperX have renewed and extended their partnership. The renewed partnership is the continuation of HyperX and Dignitas’ relationship that dates back to 2013. HyperX will continue to be the official peripheral partner of Dignitas. Through the partnership, HyperX and Dignitas will collaborate on exciting new content for Dignitas’ die-hard esports fans. HyperX Cloud Comms, a new and recurring content series, will bring Dignitas fans closer than ever before to their favourite players.

Kindred Group has teamed up with Gamban to offer Unibet customers in the US the ability to block online gambling sites across devices. Kindred has a long-standing cooperation with Gamban since 2017 across Europe and Australia. Gamban’s gambling blocking software works as an online gambling self-exclusion tool, preventing access to any online gambling site on individual devices.

Scientific Games Corporation has announced that its instant scratch games are coming to the Idaho Lottery. Scientific Games will design and manufacture Idaho Lottery scratch games under a new two-year contract, which begins in March 2021 and may be extended by the lottery for up to six additional years.

New Appointment

Everi Holdings has appointed Kate C. Lowenhar-Fisher as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer – General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, effective 22 March 2021, subject to customary regulatory approvals. She will have responsibility for the Company’s legal and regulatory compliance affairs and will report to Everi’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Rumbolz.

Compliance Updates

Nuvei Corporation has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Nuvei Technologies (Nuvei) has been approved to support the sports betting industry in Virginia. The Virginia Lottery has issued a sports betting vendor registration to Nuvei in accordance with the state’s sports betting regulation. The Company can now offer its innovative payment technology and industry expertise to provide an optimised payment experience and increased revenue opportunities for licensed gaming operators across the State.

Golden Nugget Online Gaming Inc. has announced that it has received a temporary permit to commence online sports wagering in the State of Virginia.