Gambling in the USA

Twin River Creates Partnership With Camelot Lottery Solutions To Offer Competing Lottery Proposal And Requests Opportunity To Bid

Published

1 year ago

September 19, 2019

Esports Entertainment Group Partners with Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc. to Launch Online Sports Betting in New Jersey

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Twin River Management Group (TRMG), in partnership with Camelot Lottery Solutions (Camelot), an international lottery company, has submitted to the offices of the Governor, Speaker of the House and Senate President a competing proposal to operate the State’s lottery system that, among other things, provides 1,100 jobs backed by a $100 million guarantee, saves the State and its taxpayers approximately $500 million in fees, invests $75 million in development and improvements including a new 50,000 square foot corporate headquarters in the state, and would limit the control of the casino slot floor to the current state law of 50 percent.

The proposal was developed to provide for a public, open bid process, one in where the State solicits proposals from interested vendors in order to secure the best deal, rather than simply renewing the existing billion dollar contract with IGT for a period of 20 years. Twin River and Camelot requested that the State comply with purchasing laws and proceed with a competitive bid process.

According to Marc Crisafulli, Executive Vice President of Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc. and President of Twin River Rhode Island, the binding partnership was formed to jointly respond to any RFP in Rhode Island that combines lottery systems (Camelot) and VLTs (Twin River). The highlights of the joint proposal include:

-A commitment to provide 1,100 jobs over the life of the contract, which is guaranteed by $100 million to the State if provisions of the bid are not met;

-A contract term of 12 years versus the 20 years proposed by IGT which will allow the State to assess its market/technology needs and rebid the contract earlier;

– A total cost to the State of less than $500 million which is approximately half of what is proposed by the $1 billion IGT no-bid deal;

-50% share of VLTs at the two Rhode Island casinos to stimulate increased competition among suppliers and preserve and/or enhance current State revenue of approximately $300 million annually. This is in accordance with existing state law – in stark contrast to the 85% sought by IGT in its proposed deal which requires a change to existing law;

-As part of the commitment to invest $150 million, $75 million is committed to economic development including $50 million at Twin River and the development of a 50,000 square foot new corporate headquarters in Rhode Island. Targeted communities include Providence, Pawtucket, Cranston, Warwick and Lincoln.

“We believed all along that Rhode Island would secure a much better deal through a competitive bid process and today’s bid submittal demonstrates exactly that,” said Mr. Crisafulli.

He continued, “As is evident, we have significantly improved upon the no-bid deal under consideration for IGT in many areas, notably in the shorter term, the lower fees to the State, meaningful investments in real estate development and a $100 million guarantee to secure 1,100 new jobs, all while matching every other element of the proposed IGT deal.”

Crisafulli concluded, “We’re grateful the General Assembly will now take up this issue and can best decide for themselves, on behalf of their constituents, which is the better course for the State. Importantly, they can do so knowing that the 1,100 jobs thought to be in jeopardy if the IGT contract was not automatically renewed absolutely will be guaranteed.”

In Rhode Island this week, Wayne Pickup, CEO of Camelot Lottery Solutions said, “We’re excited about the possibility of teaming up with Twin River to compete for the State’s lottery business and strongly believe, if given the opportunity to do so, we will help the State secure a much better deal. We see a lot of opportunity to create more value for the State and its residents, and look forward to replicating the success we have delivered for our customers across the globe.”

Both TRMG and Camelot are experienced operators in the casino and lottery gaming industries respectively. Camelot has decades of lottery experience and has delivered outstanding results on contracts in Illinois, Arkansas, UK, Ireland and Switzerland.

Earlier this year, Camelot successfully delivered the largest retail and technology transformation (from IGT) in US lottery history for the Illinois Lottery, rolling out 50,000 pieces of equipment across more than 7,200 retailers and seamlessly converting the lottery gaming system.

Other recent achievements include:

Record returns of $731 million for Illinois Public Schools, following Camelot’s first full year of operations in Illinois
Record sales and returns for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery in its most recent financial year, with 35% growth in net income since 2014, in partnership with Camelot
Sales growth of over 20% for the Irish National Lottery since 2014, in partnership with Camelot.

TRMG is one of the lowest levered casino owner/operators in the United States. Its parent company, Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc., or TRWH, owns and manages four casinos; two casinos in Rhode Island, one in Mississippi, and one in Delaware, as well as a Colorado horse race track that has 13 authorized OTB licenses. Properties include Twin River Casino Hotel (Lincoln, RI), Tiverton Casino Hotel (Tiverton, RI), Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi, MS), Dover Downs Hotel & Casino (Dover, DE) and Arapahoe Park racetrack (Aurora, CO). Its casinos range in size from 1,000 slots and 32 table games facilities to properties with over 4,100 slots, approximately 125 table games, and 48 stadium gaming positions, along with hotel and resort amenities. Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “TRWH.”

Source: Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc.

Gambling in the USA

Jamie Foxx To Star In BetMGM’s New Brand Campaign

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2020

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

BetMGM, the market-leading sports betting and online gaming platform, is proud to announce that Academy and GRAMMY Award winner Jamie Foxx will star in the company’s new ad campaign. The multitalented sensation, who has conquered the worlds of comedy, film, and music, is now also the face of BetMGM’s new The King of Sportsbooks campaign.

Foxx will star in a variety of traditional and social media advertisements for BetMGM. For their first brand campaign together, The King of Sportsbooks, made in partnership with creative agency 72andSunny New York, BetMGM showcases the excitement that comes with sports betting. The campaign will roll out in the coming weeks featuring a video ad, with the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas as the canvas. The ad creates a “sitting on the edge of your seat” experience by combining the magic of sports brought to life on the Fountains, with the surrealism of Foxx levitating above water.

“Jamie is an exceptional talent and we’re proud to have him partner with us on our new campaign for BetMGM,” said BetMGM’s Chief Marketing Officer Matt Prevost. “The King of Sportsbooks campaign is the next step in the evolution of the BetMGM brand and Jamie brings a unique ability to tell our story in an incredibly creative and entertaining way. BetMGM exists at the intersection of sports and entertainment and Jamie fits this positioning perfectly; we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the BetMGM family.”

Jamie Foxx is an award-winning actor, singer, and comedian. He recently won “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” at the NAACP Image Awards and received a SAG Award nomination for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role” for his performance in Just Mercy. Foxx can currently be seen in Netflix’s Project Power, which launched on August 14, and is a starring voice in Disney/Pixar’s upcoming feature Soul set for release on November 20.

Available for download on both iOS and Android and accessible via desktop, BetMGM leverages an exclusive betting engine that allows sports fans to place bets quickly and with ease and is accessible in seven states, with plans to be live in 11 by the end of 2020. For more information, follow @BetMGM on Twitter.

SOURCE MGM Resorts International

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – September 14-20

Published

6 days ago

September 22, 2020

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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 appointments. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

John Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Pollard Banknote Limited, has been inducted into the Public Gaming Research Institute’s Lottery Industry Hall of Fame. Each year, the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame’s members nominate and vote on industry leaders who promote excellence, integrity and success in the lottery industry. John Pollard, along with five other recipients, will be honored in a virtual ceremony on October 14.

WarnerMedia is going to join the growing parade of media firms eager to court consumer interest in sports betting. During the coverage of NBA’s Western Conference Finals, TNT will present an alternate live-streamed feed of the games that includes commentary on betting analysis and odds. The feed, known as “TNT Bets” and made available to cable and satellite subscribers via the Watch TNT app, will be hosted by Bleacher Report’s Cabbie Richards, Kelly Stewart and Tim Doyle, and the leading gaming company FanDuel will provide real-time statistics and information.

Elaine Wynn, who has 8.84% stakes in Wynn Resorts Limited, the biggest among single shareholders, has reportedly dropped her quest to secure a position in the board of directors of the company. She made this announcement during a fitness hearing held by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. She reportedly revealed that she accepts her age of 75 years is a constraint for such positions.

Betfair has announced that it is withdrawing from the NJ betting market due to disappointing results and because the state is getting its first sports betting exchange. Betfair entered the NJ market back in 2015, but generated a sports betting handle of just $12.4 million in 2018. Now, Sporttrade, a sports betting startup, is to introduce a proprietor betting exchange for the state via an agreement with Twin River Worldwide Holdings.

New partnership

ESPN has entered into two separate multi-year agreements with Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings. The deals include co-exclusive link integrations across ESPN digital platforms connecting fans to sportsbooks from Caesars Entertainment’s sports betting partner, William Hill, and DraftKings.

New Appointment

US gaming company DraftKings Inc. has appointed Erik Bradbury as its Chief Accounting Officer and principal accounting officer. His appointment came into force on September 10. Mr. Bradbury, who has about 16 years of experience in accounting, will report to Jason Park, the CFO of the company.

New Launching

Sports book operator William Hill has announced the launch of its mobile sports betting app in Illinois, in partnership with Caesars Entertainment’s Grand Victoria Casino. The William Hill Mobile App is built on a proprietary platform, offering an easy and seamless betting experience. The app offers multiple deposit and withdrawal options. The app has enhanced technology features, such as a biometric login and a quick-bet option.

Compliance

Online gaming platform provider Dench Solutions has obtained a compliance certificate to act as a gaming test house of Gaming Laboratories International. The company was awarded the GLI-19 standard for its ability to meet strict security standard requirements when dealing with customer data.

The Virginia Lottery Board has approved the proposed sports betting regulations after the fifty-six day public consultation period ended on September 9. As part of the public consultation, it received 183 comments from various companies and sports leagues. The Lottery’s deputy director Gina Smith said each comment was read and reviewed.

Gambling in the USA

NetEnt expands in the US with BetMGM deal for the newly regulated market in West Virginia

Published

1 week ago

September 18, 2020

George Miller

NetEnt expands in the US with BetMGM deal for the newly regulated market in West Virginia

Reading Time: < 1 minute

NetEnt is set to launch its award-winning games in West Virginia with iGaming operator BetMGM. This marks NetEnt’s first entry into the Mountain State.

NetEnt has teamed up with fast-growing iGaming group BetMGM in a partnership that is set to further increase the supplier’s reach in key US markets. Backed by GVC Group and MGM Resorts, BetMGM is soon to launch NetEnt content in West Virginia, which opened the doors to online casinos on July 15, marking the first time NetEnt’s internationally renowned content will be available in the market. NetEnt recently received a temporary license from the regulating authorities in West Virginia.

The agreement follows a strong period of growth for NetEnt in the US, after recently reporting triple-digit increases in quarterly gross gaming revenue in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“BetMGM’s rapid success in the US has been impressive and shows no signs of slowing down, making this a significant deal for our company as we continue to expand across the country,” says Brian Kraft, NetEnt Vice President Commercial, Americas. “Thanks to the strong performance of our games locally, the US is now a major revenue driver for NetEnt and we look forward to working with BetMGM to accelerate growth of both our businesses.”

Matthew Sunderland, VP Gaming at BetMGM, said: “We have already seen great success with NetEnt content in New Jersey. Their team really understand what appeals to gaming customers and I am positive this will serve as a major advantage as we strengthen our existing casino offering in West Virginia.”