SBTech has announced that the launch of sports betting at the Golden Nugget and Churchill Downs casinos in Mississippi, means that the company now has sports betting operations up and running with three operators in five locations.
SBTech is particularly distinguished for providing the first self-service betting kiosks in New Jersey & Mississippi.
Live sports betting in Mississippi
SBTech has partnerships in place in New Jersey with the Resorts Casino Hotel and with the Golden Nugget Casino. Both launched sports betting in August.
SBTech powered sports betting is available at three casinos in Mississippi.
Churchill Downs has launched sports betting under its BetAmerica brand at Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa in Greenville, Mississippi, and at the Riverwalk Casino Hotel in Vicksburg.
President of Churchill Downs Online Gaming Ian Williams, commented:
“We are delighted with the launch and the superior technology and product offering our kiosks deliver. Our players have really taken to the range of markets offered and the ease of use of the wagering machines. As College football starts this weekend, we anticipate that our players will take full advantage of the unique Cash Out feature, which allows players to claim their winnings while bets are still live.”
The Golden Nugget is using SBTech at its Biloxi casino. Thomas Winter, Golden Nugget senior VP and general manager of online gaming said:
“We are thrilled to be up and running at our Atlantic City and Biloxi properties. SBTech technology is undoubtedly the most advanced and innovative that bettors will find in New Jersey and Mississippi. It allows us to provide patrons with a state-of-the-art sports betting experience, never before seen in the US. Innovative kiosks allow bettors to choose between thousands of in-running betting opportunities, after the games have started.”
Resorts and DraftKings?
The Resorts Casino in Atlantic City is also partnered with DraftKings which memorably beat the other operators to the punch in being the first online operator to launch mobile sports betting in New Jersey.
It is not 100 percent clear, but it appears that DraftKings Sportsbook will only be operating online sports betting with Resorts, and not land-based sports betting.
SBTech’s release for its deal with Resorts said that it would “provide its sportsbook solution across on-property, online and mobile channels.”
New Jersey regulations allow licensed casinos multiple skins as partners, so there should be no conflict.
Incestuous corporate relationships are essential in modern sports betting
The complex web of inter-company relationships in the US sports betting world is becoming difficult to follow. DraftKings is also in business with Kambi. At the time that deal was announced, Kambi CEO Kristian Nylén, said:
“The Kambi technology is unique in that it empowers operators to innovate and create differentiated sports betting experiences, providing the flexibility which will be crucial in the developing U.S. market.”
Meanwhile, SBTech is in business with another well known player in the New Jersey market, GAN.
GAN CEO Dermot Smurfit explained what the partnership entails:
“GAN has been asked by several Clients to review, procure and support the delivery of a sports betting solution both online and in the on-property retail channel in the event PASPA is overturned. We have conducted a lengthy diligence process in Europe to identify a preferred sports betting partner based on their technical capability, US licensing suitability, ability to integrate seamlessly with GAN’s enterprise software platform and the sophistication of their managed sports services. We are delighted to announce this strategic relationship with SBTECH.”
Put all this together and you have a typical US sports betting deal:
Resorts Casino is partnered with DraftKings, which is partnered with Kambi and with SBTech, which is partnered with GAN. Of course, SBTech is also partnered with the Resorts’ competitor, the Golden Nugget, which has a partnership with Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) which owns FanDuel which is competing with DraftKings….
This is a fun industry to observe.
SBTech is just getting started
The next announcement from SBTech should be a report that it has launched Pennsylvania sports betting, where it is also in partnership with Churchill Downs — and where SBTech’s partner GAN is of course partnered with Churchill Downs’ main competitor, Parx.
Last word goes to SBTech’s CEO Richard Carter who has to manage the complex partnerships involved with expanding in the US sports betting industry.
He is extremely pleased that his company has managed to get its partners’ sports betting operations in action so quickly:
“I’m delighted to have witnessed the successful launches of our partners in New Jersey and Mississippi in such a short space of time. We deployed with our people on the ground to work closely with our partners and the regulators. I would like to thank the teams at the DGE and MGC for all of their hard work and support. We are fully focused on working with our partners to build the best product for the US market and support their growth.”
