MGM is planning to relaunch its Nevada sports betting app under the BetMGM brand and on new technology ahead of March Madness.
The move comes after MGM and GVC’s joint venture, Roar Digital, secured approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday to operate mobile Nevada sports betting in the state.
MGM will continue to run its retail sportsbooks, but Roar will now take over the digital aspects of the operation as a service provider.
What does this mean for MGM bettors?
The switch will see the current PlayMGM app scrapped and replaced by the BetMGM app. It will be built on an “improved” solution from Stadium Technology, the tech firm owned by GVC.
It means the Nevada BetMGM app will be different than the one in New Jersey, which runs on GVC’s bwin tech stack.
Greenblatt said the licensing approval for new tech in Nevada was a long one and the company had other priorities. Stadium already powers the majority of Nevada sports betting apps.
BetMGM the “future” for venture
“It’s been a good day for Roar,” Greenblatt said Wednesday. “We will be launching BetMGM in (Nevada), hopefully before March Madness.”
“BetMGM is the future. We will take the brand everywhere real money goes.”
The BetMGM brand is more widely known nationally thanks to marketing deals with the NBA, NHL and MLB. There also is a deal with Buffalo Wild Wings to promote BetMGM odds in restaurants and bars.
Greenblatt said the launch of online poker in Nevada was not a short term priority for the operator, with the launch of sports betting in other states taking precedent.
Good news for Yahoo Sportsbook too?
MGM and GVC both pledged to invest $100 million in the launch and expansion of Roar to help the two firms capitalize on the rollout of US sports betting.
The JV recently signed an affiliate deal with Yahoo Sports that saw the launch of a ‘Yahoo Sportsbook.’ All bets are actually made via the BetMGM platform.
Yahoo yesterday revealed plans to expand that partnership to at least five more states this year, Bloomberg reported. Given this latest news, it looks like NV sports betting could be an option for that expansion.