Gambling in the USA
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – January 22-28
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! 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
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has announced the promotion of Ginnie Hollis and Samantha Powell to Vice President positions, further strengthening the company’s global leadership team.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has recently sent cease-and-desist letters to three online gaming companies — two in the US and one overseas — after investigations revealed the entities are offering online gaming in Michigan without licenses to do so legally.
Jackpot Digital has announced that it has received licensing approval from Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Gaming Regulatory Authority, the regulator for Grand Casino Mille Lacs located in Onamia, Minnesota. The vendor license was the final step required for the Company to install its casino machines at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.
BetMGM debuted the first of a three-part, star-studded teaser campaign, promoting the company’s first-ever Big Game television spot. Featuring the never-before-seen pairing of Tom Brady and Wayne Gretzky, along with actor Vince Vaughn, the upcoming series marks a monumental moment for BetMGM.
Fanatics Betting and Gaming, a subsidiary of Fanatics Holdings, a global digital sports platform, launched the Fanatics Sportsbook and Casino in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Sports fans living in and visiting Pennsylvania will be able to download the Fanatics Sportsbook, which includes Fanatics Casino, on iOS and Android and begin their Fanatics Sportsbook experience.
Seminole Hard Rock has promoted Keith Sheldon to President of Entertainment and Brand Management for Seminole Gaming and Hard Rock International. In this new and expanded role, Sheldon will be responsible for oversight of brand management, consumer marketing, brand partnerships and sponsorship revenue generation. Sheldon will continue to report to Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming.
Partnerships
São Paulo has announced Superbet as the main sponsor for the next three years. The contract between the Tricolor and the recently arrived European betting house in Brazil is worth $32 million.
U.S. Integrity and LIV Golf announced a formal partnership for gaming integrity monitoring, compliance and education. The partnership also provides LIV Golf with access to ProhiBet, an innovative technology that detects prohibited gaming behavior, developed in collaboration with Odds On Compliance.
International Game Technology PLC has announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, has signed a three-year contract extension with the Virginia Lottery. The extension, when added to the full duration of the contract, will run through October 2033, and in addition makes available three, one-year extension options.
AndaSeat, a pioneer in ergonomic gaming chairs, has introduced the Kaiser 3 Pro, marking a new chapter in comfort and innovation. Alongside the exciting launch, the company also announced a landmark partnership with Top Esports, a leading name in the esports industry.
TUMS has partnered with DraftKings to launch a new platform, TUMS Prop Bites, which allows players to choose free food picks during the Super Bowl and compete for cash prizes. Players can pick from an assortment of favourite American foods like pizza, buffalo wings, chips and dip with the free-to-play game. Winners can earn a share of $10,000 for selecting which foods “have won America’s hearts and stomachs.”
Gambling in the USA
Zula Casino Kicks Off its Spectacular 1-Year “Zula-versary” with a Month of Events and Promotions
Zula Casino launched its online social casino in the US exactly a year ago delivering more. More games. More rewards. More free-to-play entertainment through a personalized experience. Zula Casino marked its one-year launch by crossing the 1000 casino-game threshold – a milestone that positions it among the top platforms nationwide.
The month-long birthday bash intends to go over the top to give back to its amazing player community that helped make this first year so incredible. With its advent calendar format, players can unlock a special surprise each day ranging from a “Win-a-Vacation” event, a carnival event, free spins and new exclusive games, and a prize pool of over 25 billion Gold Coins (GC) plus 150,000 Sweeps Coins (SC) to be given out throughout the month. Over this period, Zula Casino will run other special events, including surprise happy hours with special coupons, various social media contests, and special giveaways.
“We’re incredibly proud of the player experience we’ve built over the last 12 months. The platform has garnered a substantial and loyal pool of players, and it’s not just because we offer one of the largest game selections from leading global providers, but also the exclusive experiences we’re providing, and the platform’s continued evolution with enhanced promotions, personalization, and seamless user experience,” said Tamar Laypan, Program Manager of Zula Casino.
Zula Casino has added over 1000 games across all categories over the past 12 months, including slots, jackpots, fish, table, plinko, megaways, crash, hold and win, tumble games, and more. These additions include top games like Big Bass Vegas and Fire Stampede, as well as branded exclusives like Gold Gold Gold 5000, supplied by Booming Games, and Sweet Bonanza 1000 by Pragmatic Play. With recent additions, Zula Casino now boasts 25 game providers, including Relax Gaming, Habanero, Evoplay, Pragmatic Play, RubyPlay, Gamzix, Let Us Entertain You Inc., to name a few.
Zula Casino flourished in a tough and highly competitive market, launching its proprietary-integrated platform in September of last year. With an average TrustPilot score of 4.6 and almost 9K reviews, the online social casino is among the highest-rated free-to-play sites in the market.
Zula Casino was also previously shortlisted for the prestigious Global SBC Awards in the category of “Rising Star in Casino”.
Diana Goode
NCPG Welcomes Diana Goode to the Board of Directors
NCPG has announced the appointment of Diana Goode to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Board of Directors. Diana, who has served as the Executive Director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) since May 2018, brings over 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience to this role.
In her time with CCPG, Diana has championed initiatives that address problem gambling and promote responsible gaming across Connecticut. Additionally, she has played an active role on the NCPG Affiliates Committee, contributing valuable insights from her years of experience.
Before joining CCPG, Diana held executive roles in nonprofits focusing on poverty alleviation and financial literacy in Connecticut. Her academic credentials include a degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Connecticut. She resides in the Greater Hartford area, where she remains deeply engaged in her community.
Diana will serve an interim appointment in the Affiliates seat on the NCPG Board of Directors until Spring 2025.
Gambling in the USA
Gaming Executives Positive on Current Business Conditions, Cautious on Future Growth Expectations
Overall Balance Sheet Health, Access to Credit Continue to Improve
In the face of slowing revenue expansion, gaming industry leaders continue to hold an overall positive view of the current business situation, with a notable improvement in credit conditions, according to the latest American Gaming Association (AGA) Gaming Industry Outlook.
The majority of respondents (88%) view the current state of the gaming industry as either good or satisfactory. Meanwhile, executives have a more conservative outlook on future business conditions, with respondents split on whether they expect conditions to improve over the next three-to-six months (3% net positive) and many expecting a decrease in customer activity (28% net negative).
“After years of very strong consumer gaming spending growth, expectations around customer activity over the next three to six months have cooled considerably,” said AGA Vice President of Research David Forman. “Still, gaming businesses remain well positioned, with executives touting strong balance sheets and more viewing access to credit as easy than restrictive for the first time in two years.”
Gaming Executive Panel
Since Q1, gaming executives’ sentiment has shifted, with a greater number of respondents now expecting a decline in customer activity over the next three to six months (28% net negative, up from 4% net negative in Q1). Despite this, panelists foresee improvements in overall balance sheet health (34% net positive).
Additionally, more executives reported access to credit as easy (19%) rather than restrictive (3%) for the first time in two years, and fewer cite interest rates as a major limiting factor than in the spring.
Hotel (56%) and food and beverage facilities (56%) continue to be the main and growing focus of capital investment among operators, followed by live entertainment (28%) and casino floor slots (22%).
Meanwhile, gaming equipment suppliers now believe their pace of capital investment and game sales will decelerate (13% net negative).
These expectations are impacted by evolving macroeconomic challenges, with uncertainty of the economic environment vaulting to the top of executive concerns (56%, up from 34% in Q1), followed by state regulatory concerns (31%), and inflationary or interest rate concerns and geopolitical risk (both 34%).
The Current Conditions Index
The Current Conditions Index for Q3 2024 was 97.3, which is consistent with real annualized contraction of 2.7 percent. The Current Conditions Index measures real economic activity in the industry, as measured by gaming revenue, employment and employee wages and salaries.
The Future Conditions Index
The Future Conditions Index, a leading indicator of changes in industry conditions, measured 98.9 in Q3. This indicates an environment in which real economic activity in the gaming sector, after controlling for underlying inflation, is expected to moderately decrease over the next six months (1.1% annualized rate).
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