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

Jackpot Digital has announced that it is reviewing and intending to spin-out its online gaming software assets to a newly incorporated company (Spinco). As consideration for the assets, Spinco will issue shares which shall be distributed to Jackpot’s shareholders. The purpose of the spin-out shall be to leverage and monetise the Company’s online digital assets and commercial relationships in the gaming sector. Also, the spin-out will allow a more streamlined regulatory process by separating the Company’s respective business operations and allow the Company to attract specialised management to run the online operations.

JCM Global has installed the upgraded version of its award-winning ICB Intelligent Cash Box system at two Sac & Fox Nation casinos in Oklahoma. The 623 slot games at Black Hawk Casino in Shawnee and the 148 slot games at Sac & Fox Nation Casino in Stroud now have the added boost of technology of JCM’s sophisticated ICB 3.0, further enhancing security and efficiencies. Both properties also benefit from JCM’s industry-leading iVIZION bill validators and a combination of GEN5 and GEN2U thermal printers.

Digital Gaming Corporation is entering the US online sports betting and iGaming market using the globally recognised “betway” brand. The betway brand operates in over 20 regulated markets across the world, and with global recognition it is both distinct and memorable. The high regard in which DGC Betway is viewed within the US gaming industry is demonstrated by the fact that DGC has secured market access agreements for 10 US States, for online Sports Betting, and where allowed by law, iGaming. DGC will continue to strive towards expanding its footprint across the US and is committed to finding partners that fit with its strategic objectives.

Multinational stadium designer Populous has revealed the designs for a $500 million convention, entertainment and esports centre in downtown Toronto. The venue is still unnamed but will sit on 4.5 acres of the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, a waterfront site on the northern edge of Lakeshore Boulevard that would also see a hotel tower rise at the project’s rear. OverActive Media (OAM), an international media and entertainment company, is serving as the project’s developer.

Helicon One Digital Ltd, the marketing company behind the UK casino portal The Slot Buzz, is set to launch its latest gaming site in Canada. The new website, thecasinoheat.ca, will focus on providing reviews and game guides for Canadian gamblers looking to place bets online. Reviews of more than 50 casino brands will be published on the site with operator and licensing information as well as informative and expert opinion on the games, software and payment services available.

Enthusiast Gaming Holdings is going to launch a new premium online publication dedicated to the growing needs of today’s esports fans. Combining content elements from the Company’s two existing esports coverage outlets, Upcomer and Daily Esports, Enthusiast Gaming will relaunch one unified esports publication later this spring. The new publication, which will operate as Upcomer, will leverage its existing user and prediction engine, to create one of the most complete esports fan engagement experiences.

New Partnership

Bally’s Corporation has become an Official Sports Betting Partner of the National Hockey League (NHL). This multi-year deal represents Bally’s first sports betting partnership with a professional sports league. The partnership provides Bally’s with rights to use NHL marks and logos as well as use of the League’s official data across its expanding portfolio of sports betting products. Also, through its media partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Bally’s will create engaging content for NHL fans and integrate that content into live NHL game coverage spanning 19 regional sports networks.

Compliance Updates

Rush Street Interactive (RSI) has secured market access opportunities in Ohio, Maryland and Missouri through a strategic partnership deal with Penn National Gaming. Under the terms of the deal, RSI will have the ability to offer its BetRivers.com real-money online casino and sports betting platform for up to 20 years in Ohio, Maryland and Missouri through potential second skins in each of those states, subject to license availability, state law and regulatory approvals.

The North Dakota House of Representatives has passed two resolutions that could put sports betting and online poker on the November ballot. The legislation may allow North Dakota to join Michigan in legalising interstate poker. Since the state does not have any commercial casinos, all gaming and sports betting would take place online. The resolutions will now go to the Senate, where the Republicans hold a strong majority.

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

Casinos in New York are now able to stay open until 11 pm after Governor Andrew Cuomo eased the Covid-19 countermeasures in the state. Along with casinos, the governor’s executive order also puts back the previous 10 pm curfew by an hour for restaurants, bars, gyms and fitness centres, billiards halls and any other location with a State Liquor Authority licence.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has authorised the launch of another online gaming and sports betting operator. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians — which operates three casinos under the Four Winds brand in Dowagiac, Hartford and New Buffalo — and its platform provider, Pala Interactive LLC, join a group of other operators and platform providers the state agency has approved in recent weeks, since the two forms of gambling officially launched in the state last month.

NeoPollard Interactive has congratulated its customer network on exceptional Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) results. NPi’s iLottery partners, including the Michigan, Virginia, New Hampshire and North Carolina Education Lotteries, achieved topline sales totaling a collective $2 billion. Just as impressive as this milestone achievement is the fact that these lotteries grew topline sales by a remarkable 89% from the previous fiscal year. FY20 is defined as the twelve-month period ending 30 June 2020 for each state except Michigan, which concluded FY20 on 30 September 2020; all four lotteries have continued to achieve significant growth in the current fiscal year.

A class-action lawsuit filed last week targets Apple for hosting and profiting from casino-style apps through the App Store, specifically titles developed by Zynga. Lodged with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Columbia, the suit takes issue with free-to-play games that offer micro-transactions, or in-app purchases, for digital currency or other forms of digital goods.

Partnerships

Playtech plc has announced that it has signed strategic agreements with various subsidiaries of Greenwood Racing, which own and operate the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. The agreements include licensing of Playtech products to the Greenwood companies in the states of Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, commencing with the launch of online casino in Michigan on Playtech’s IMS Platform and Player Account Management (PAM).

Online casino content provider Pragmatic Play has entered into a partnership with BetPlay, one of the key operators in Colombia. This new partnership will see the Colombian operator take Pragmatic Play’s entire suite of award-winning slots including the fan-favourite Wolf Gold, recent hit The Hand of Midas, and the highly acclaimed John Hunter series. BetPlay is the online gaming division of Corredor Empresarial, the country’s national lottery operator. This deal is a strategic move in Pragmatic Play’s expansion plan in Latin America, as BetPlay is one of the market leaders in the regulated country as well as the main sponsor of the National Football League (NFL).

The Director Board of Atlantic Lottery has appointed Patrick Daigle as the organisation’s interim President and CEO. Daigle began his Atlantic Lottery career in 1997 and most recently served as the Lottery’s Chief Financial Officer. Sean O’Connor, Chair of Atlantic Lottery’s Director Board, said Daigle’s nearly 25 years of proven senior leadership experience will be a valued asset to the organisation during the transitional period.

DraftKings has appointed Jennifer Aguiar as its Chief Compliance Officer. Previously, Aguiar served as the company’s Vice President of Compliance and Risk. As Chief Compliance Officer, Aguiar will be responsible for overseeing corporate compliance and enterprise risk management. Among other responsibilities, she will ensure DraftKings’ compliance with all U.S. and international licensing requirements related to daily fantasy sports, sports betting and iGaming.

Gaming Americas rebrands Sports Betting & Casino Summit North America.

Digital events specialists Hipther Agency has revealed its new branding strategy for its flagship conference in the Americas, previously called “Sports Betting & Casino Summit North America”

Starting 2021, Gaming Americas’ annual summit will be hosted under the “Summits by Gaming Americas” brand and will consist of two events:

• 22 June, 2021 – Gaming Summit North America (#GSNA2021)
• 23 June, 2021 – Gaming Summit Latin America (#GSLATAM2021)

Building on the success of the first edition that took place in 2020, the team is excited to add a full day of discussions about the Latin American gambling industry as part of the content coverage on GamingAmericas.com.

The Summit by Gaming Americas brand complements the Gaming Americas Quarterly Meetups and offers a leading range of insights and networking opportunities for industry stakeholders across North and Latin America.

Zoltán Tűndik, Co-Founder and Head of Business at Hipther Agency commented: “In less than a year, Gaming Americas has proved itself and climbed many rankings to become a one-stop media outlet which offers quality content daily and hosts some of the most talked-about industry meetings. We constantly adding to our offering and now our leading summit will cover even more regions in the Americas.”

The team at Hipther Agency are already planning for the second meetup dedicated to the Americas, which will take place on the 29^th of April and also preparing for the Summit which will take place between 22-23 June, 2021.

Details about the 2-day Summit can be found here: https://summits.gamingamericas.com/

Details about the Gaming Americas Quarterly Meetups can be found here: https://gamingamericas.com/meetups/

For sponsorship/speaking and marketing inquiries, make sure to reach out to Andrada Marginean (B2B Sales Executive at Hipther Agency).

For media-related inquiries, please contact Alexandru Marginean (Marketing Specialist at Hipther Agency).

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