Gambling in the USA
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – August 2-8
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, new appointments and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
Nuvei Corporation has announced the completion of the previously announced acquisition of Mazooma Technical Services. The acquisition enhances and expands Nuvei’s portfolio of North American payment options with instant bank-to-bank payments for pay-ins and payouts and real time payments (RTP) for accelerated withdrawals, allowing customers to receive payouts immediately into their bank accounts 24/7/365.
Atlas World Sports is going to release its Atlas World Sports app at the end of this month. It will be in the iOS and Android App stores just in time to provide NFL, and all sports fans, league scores, stats on teams/players, news, and will eventually provide subscribers personalised AI.
Hard Rock International is going to open its temporary casino in Rockford in October. The temporary casino can be open for up to two years while the permanent casino is built. The location at Giovanni’s Restaurant and Convention Center is currently undergoing an $8 million renovation, and will hold over 600 slot machines; the Midway Bar sports bar; and the Rock River Bar and Grill restaurant.
Allied Esports and NASCAR announced an event tour that will bring gaming activations to racing fans in 2021. The Allied Esports Truck, North America’s first and only 18-wheel gaming truck, will make seven stops at NASCAR Cup Series race Midways and Fan Zones starting August 6-8 at Go Bowling at the Glen in Watkins Glen, New York and concluding November 7 at the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.
Payment solutions provider Paysafe has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Peruvian alternative payments (APM) platform PagoEfectivo.
Bragg Gaming Group has announced that it will release its second quarter 2021 financial results prior to the opening of the financial markets on Wednesday, 11 August 2021.
TwinSpires, the Churchill Downs-owned online wagering brand for horse racing and sports, has announced that it will seek to enter the newly legalised sports betting market in Arizona in partnership with the Tonto Apache Tribe, owner and operator of the Mazatzal Hotel & Casino.
Partnerships
The International Esports Federation (IESF) has entered into a partnership with live event production company White Lite LLC to host more Esports tournaments in the Latin American (LATAM) region.
DraftKings has entered into an agreement to become the official and exclusive Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) partner of the Boston Red Sox. The agreement reinforces DraftKings’ existing relationship with one of the most storied teams in baseball.
Sports betting company BetMGM has partnered with digital-first news network Cheddar News to launch Cheddar Bets, a weekly programme offering a first-of-its-kind exploration of the intersection of sports betting and financial markets.
New Appointments
EPIC Risk Management, a globally leading independent gambling harm minimisation consultancy, has named leading problematic gambling prevention specialist Dan Trolaro as Vice President of Prevention, effective August 9.
Win Systems has appointed Kevin Reilly as the Sales Manager for the West Coast of the US market. Kevin has more than 15 years of experience in the gaming sector in the US, in which he developed outstanding skills in sales and product management.
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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