wheeling and dealing Archives - National Football Post

New York’s Empire Resorts Joins Forces With Bet365 on Sports Betting

Posted on 14 November 2018 | by Brett Smiley

Empire Resorts, Inc., now an affiliate of bet365 Group Limited (bet365) and Resorts World Catskills today revealed a “strategic alliance” to join the rapidly expanding sports wagering business space in the U.S. by creating a physical and online sportsbook in New York State.

Sports wagering is not now legal in New York, however, rules and accompanying regulations are expected to come under close examination by New York State lawmakers in 2019, Democratic State Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow (89th District) told Sports Handle in an interview last week. Pretlow is the state lawmaker sponsoring enabling legislation that would legalize full-fledged sports betting in the state.

Resorts World Catskills in Kiamesha Lake, on the site of the former Concord Hotel, a “Borscht Belt” landmark, is New York’s newest and largest integrated commercial casino resort destination with closest proximity to Manhattan. Empire, as a bet365 affiliate company, is part of the world’s largest online sports bookmaker. The parties said in a media release that their deal 20-year agreement would become effective when permitted by applicable law.

MGM GVC Interactive Taps Sportradar As Exclusive Supplier of U.S. Sports Data

Posted on 8 November 2018 | by Brett Smiley

The post MGM GVC Interactive Taps Sportradar As Exclusive Supplier of U.S. Sports Data appeared first on SportsHandle.

Sports data provider Sportradar, currently the only data provider working directly with the NBA and NHL as a distributor of league data, announced Thursday a deal through which it will now be the exclusive betting data provider to MGM GVC Interactive LLC for certain leagues.

MGM GVC Interactive is a shared venture between British-controlled bookmaker GVC Holdings PLC, which owns the Ladbrokes Coral Group PLC gambling company, and MGM Resorts International.

NHL Executive Suggests New Gambling Revenue Could Actually Keep Ticket Prices Down

Posted on 8 November 2018 | by Brett Smiley

The NHL’s 180° on the virtues of sports betting is causing whiplash among people who for two decades saw NHL commissioner Gary Bettman shout about the dangers of legal sports betting and its potential to ruin sports.

Following a flurry of recent NHL announcements including deals with MGM Resorts International to become an official sports betting partner, and a partnership with FanDuel to become the “exclusive official daily fantasy partner and an official sports betting partner of the NHL” — Los Angeles Kings president Luc Robitaille on Wednesday said that gambling revenue derived from such deals and other channels could actually lower ticket prices or at least prevent them from rising at the same rate.

Robitaille made the remarks during an appearance on ESPN’s On Ice podcast with Greg Wyshanski and Emily Kaplan on Wednesday, saying in part: “I’m not going to guarantee it’s going to bring down ticket prices, but it might hold the raise a little bit. If a team plans on raising ticket prices by 8 percent, they might only raise them by 5 or 4 percent. If there’s a lot more money at the table, it makes everybody’s life easier.”

We’ll put the likelihood of a reduction of prices and/or slowing of their incremental increases at 25-1. Let’s now explore the reason for that line a bit deeper.

Breaking Down The NHL’s Partnership With FanDuel

Posted on 6 November 2018 | by Brett Smiley

The wall separating the major U.S. sports leagues and sports wagering world continues to crumble with the announcement of two new deals involving Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and sportsbook operator FanDuel.

FanDuel in its newly minted partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) has additionally refocused attention on what was its core business as it continues its efforts to establish itself in emerging Nevada-style sports betting marketplaces.

On Monday, the number two DFS company announced a multi-year partnership with the NHL, making FanDuel the “exclusive official daily fantasy partner and an official sports betting partner of the NHL.” The new deal also allows FanDuel customers to gain access to what it calls “special prizing,” such as VIP experiences to NHL major events including its All-Star Game and Winter Classic outdoor hockey game.

The Week in Sports Betting: PA Sports Betting Nears Launch; NHL Jumps Into Fray; More and More Deals

Posted on 2 November 2018 | by Brett Smiley

After a brief hiatus, ‘Get a Grip’ makes a triumphant return. It’s information overload everywhere, and there’s not time enough to sleep and eat and stay fully apprised of what’s happening on this crazy blue dot of ours (two out of three ain’t bad).

Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top stories, and rounding up key stories in sports betting, gaming, and the world of sports at large. You may have missed them, and they are worth reading.

Never a slow week these days as we count a half-dozen new deals this week bringing the pro sports leagues together with gaming and hospitality groups, and directly with sportsbook operators, unlike ever before. Times they are a changin’.

But first: More movement in Pennsylvania, where this Wednesday the state gaming control board granted three more sports wagering certificates. This trio joins fellow licensees Hollywood Casino and Parx Casino (and its South Philadelphia Turf Club). Some details about their immediate sportsbook plans:

– Harrah’s Philadelphia — Affiliated with Caesars Entertainment. The company is planning a renovation of an existing 4,322-square foot food and beverage area, which will include 40 flat-screen televisions, multiple odds boards, six teller windows, self-betting kiosks, two horse-racing terminals, and stadium-style seating.

– Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh — Aiming for a Dec. 1 launch of its retail sportsbook and early ‘19 for mobile-web platforms. Plans are to move the sportsbook to a permanent location in the center of the gaming floor, in the spring of 2019.

– SugarHouse Casino in the Philadelphia area — Has plans for a 1,800-square foot temporary sportsbook that will feature club chairs and table seating for 70 people, in addition to a 14-foot by 7-foot video wall. A dozen flat-screen televisions will be spread around the sportsbook and food and beverage service will be available.

Caesars’ Horseshoe Casinos Baltimore Become Ravens’ Official Casino Partner

Posted on 22 October 2018 | by Brett Smiley

Following in the Dallas Cowboys’ footsteps, the Baltimore Ravens have forged an official partnership with the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, becoming the second NFL team to strike such an agreement since the league decided in September to permit marketing deals between casinos and its teams.

The Horseshoe Casino, a Caesars Entertainment property, is walking distance to the Raven’s M&T Bank Stadium — less than a mile down Warner street.

Ravens and Caesars executives announced the deal on Friday alongside Ravens’ Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden. Like the Cowboys’ deal with the WinStar World Casino in Oklahoma, the second-of-its-kind deal designating a casino as an official team partner will permit the Horseshoe to use the Ravens’ team marks and logos for on-site promotions, according to the release on the Ravens’ website.

Source: DraftKings, MLB Partnering On Groundbreaking Sports Betting App

Posted on 5 October 2018 | by Brett Smiley

A major collaboration between Major League Baseball (MLB) and DraftKings, the leading Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) operator, will be a part of a series of major announcements at next week’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E) convention in Las Vegas, Sports Handle has learned.

A source with knowledge of the negotiations says DraftKings will announce plans for a new, comprehensive sports wagering app that will include the ability to stream MLB games. The source says that, at first, the app would only have DFS play options available, but would soon allow full-fledged, single-game betting as well — in legal, regulated markets such as New Jersey, where the DraftKings Sportsbook was first to market in August with its online sportsbook and mobile apps.

Neither DraftKings nor MLB was available late Friday to comment on the move that would create a groundbreaking synergy between a major sports league and a sports wagering outlet.

William Hill And IGT Partner Up, Look to Dominate Sports Betting Connected to US Lotteries

Posted on 26 September 2018 | by Brett Smiley

The post William Hill And IGT Partner Up, Look to Dominate Sports Betting Connected to US Lotteries appeared first on SportsHandle.

Displaying assurance in their Rhode Island alliance and the probability that many states will operate sports betting through current lottery operations, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Game Technology and William Hill U.S., a subsidiary of William Hill revealed Tuesday they have entered into a multi-year agreement to offer U.S. lotteries a full service solution for sports betting.

In late August, the Rhode Island Lottery chose IGT and William Hill to jointly run its sports betting operation under the state lottery umbrella. IGT, the long-time lottery contractor in Rhode Island with brick-and mortar offices in Providence, is using its sports betting platform with William Hill serving as risk manager.

Rhode Island Lottery officials project that sports betting operations are not expected to be up and running at the state’s two casino locations until mid-November, well into the NFL and college football season.

William Hill Becomes ‘Official Partner’ of Vegas Golden Knights, First Deal of Its Kind

Posted on 18 September 2018 | by Brett Smiley

The post William Hill Becomes ‘Official Partner’ of Vegas Golden Knights, First Deal of Its Kind appeared first on SportsHandle.

The Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday notched yet another “first.”

In 2017 the Golden Knights became the first of the four major professional U.S. sports leagues to officially make Las Vegas their home and in June, it became the NHL’s first expansion team since 1968 to reach the Stanley Cup Finals (in vastly different circumstances), ultimately falling to the Washington Capitals 4-1.

This newest first involves the newest NHL franchise joining with bookmaker William Hill US — in a “landmark, multi-year partnership” the first-ever between a professional U.S. sports team and a sportsbook.

Breaking Down the William Hill-Eldorado Resorts US Sports Betting Partnership

Posted on 5 September 2018 | by Brett Smiley

The post Breaking Down the William Hill-Eldorado Resorts US Sports Betting Partnership appeared first on SportsHandle.

In a surprise announcement late Tuesday, William Hill and Eldorado Resorts jointly revealed they had reached a wide-ranging partnership agreement through which the British-controlled bookmaking giant would operate all the major regional casino company’s sportsbook operations in the U.S., and that Eldorado would take a 20 percent stake in William Hill’s U.S. operation, as well as a minor stake in the company’s worldwide operation.

Word of the deal was first reported by the British news outlet Sky News. Soon after the Sky News report, an official statement was released to the media.

William Hill and Eldorado are calling the agreement “a nationwide partnership for digital and land-based sports betting and online gaming in the United States.” William Hill now becomes Eldorado’s exclusive partner in the provision of digital and land-based sports betting services as well as online gaming. The online gaming element to the deal is apparently a new wrinkle in William Hill’s U.S. business model, which had previously focused strictly on sports wagering.

Wide-Ranging Partnership Between William Hill and Eldorado Resorts Puts Bookmaker Into 11 States for Mobile and Retail Sports Betting

Read Breaking Down the William Hill-Eldorado Resorts US Sports Betting Partnership on SportsHandle.