Recently, MGM Resorts International has made a series of interesting announcements, strengthening its standing as a leading player in the sports betting market.
Despite MGM maintaining its stance via numerous physical locations in Nevada, the company is showing increasing competitiveness in sports betting across other states.
Various companies are involved in the latest news on MGM.
- Gaming by Boyd
- Holding company GVC owns Ladbrokes Coral and Bwin.Party.
- (W)NBA
MGM recently joined forces with Boyd Gaming to broaden their online and mobile gaming reach. This partnership will extend their services to an additional 15 states, four of which have already legalized online and mobile gaming. Moreover, seven of these states are aiming to introduce sports betting by 2019.
This is the dominating presence of MGM and Boyd in the U.S.:
MGM
- Nevada
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- NY
- Jersey, New
Boyd
- Nevada
- Mississippi
- Illinois purchasing property from MGM
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Missouri
Embracing the sports betting market
Boyd and MGM previously co-owned the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, until MGM purchased Boyd’s share in 2016 without any animosity. Boyd’s purchase of Valley Forge Casino for $280.5 million will at last allow MGM to enter Pennsylvania.
MGM and GVC Holdings teamed up on a $200 million sports betting project, with each party shouldering half of the project cost. GVC, which is the parent company of Ladbrokes Coral and houses Bwin.Party, will set up sports betting platforms in five states.
When MGM purchased Borgata, Boyd’s President and CEO Keith Smith discussed the partnership.
The evolution of our industry is paving the way for growth through new gaming forms such as online and mobile gaming. Our partnership with MGM Resorts could allow Boyd Gaming to expand its online presence to five more states, setting us up for considerable future growth. This partnership will also enable both our companies to take the lead in the advancement of our industry.
Becoming an official gaming partner
The NBA declared MGM as the league’s first “official gaming partner,” despite significant opposition from sports leagues to date. This announcement was made during a July 31 press conference featuring Commissioner Adam Silver and Jim Murren, CEO of MGM Resorts.
The Las Vegas Aces, a WNBA franchise, is owned by MGM, who purchased it in 2017. Additionally, MGM is the host for the NBA Summer League.
Murren mentioned at the press conference that mobile betting for NJ sports could soon start, thanks to MGM having resorts in Nevada and New Jersey. However, the launch is still pending.
Up until this point, advocates for sports betting involved in a legal discussion about integrity fees viewed this deal as a victory.
Sara Slane, the senior vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association, emphasized that sports betting deals should be conducted through contracts, not statutory obligations.
“Today’s announcement underscores the mutual beneficial relationship between casino gaming firms and sports entities. We foresee this as the inaugural of numerous others to follow,” she informed Legal Sports Report.
This long-term collaboration will encompass sharing anonymized real-time data (along with branding), integrating special digital content across NBA platforms, and marketing on both the NBA platform and app as well as MGM Resorts’ sports betting platforms.
Bringing in NBA data
The NBA continues to prioritize game integrity and seems to be in alignment with MGM, according to a statement made by Silver in their press release.
As the US sports betting landscape rapidly changes, partnering with MGM Resorts, a proven leader in gaming, is a groundbreaking move for us. Our cooperation will utilize precise, real-time NBA and WNBA data to provide the best possible gaming and entertainment experience for consumers. Together, we’ll strive to uphold and improve the integrity of our games.
Nevertheless, MGM has committed itself to excellent brands, market accessibility, and technology.
“But we also require the finest technology and an exceptional in-game betting experience, both of which we receive from GVC. We now also have access to invaluable data, analytics, and information from the NBA which will ultimately dictate the winners and losers in the US sports betting arena. I am confident that MGM will emerge victorious,” Murren stated at the press conference, as reported by Legal Sports Report.
Caesars accepting sports bets
Caesars Entertainment is also looking to expand and make deals, just like MGM. The company has plans to inaugurate a sportsbook and begin accepting bets in New Jersey and Mississippi.
Caesars will also transition their online and mobile sports betting to Scientific Games. By utilizing the OpenBet sportsbook technology from Scientific Games, Caesars will be able to efficiently and swiftly launch its terrestrial and digital sports betting platforms.
This is what Barry Cottle, the President and CEO of Scientific Games, commented:
We’re excited to collaborate with Caesars to assist them in delivering top-tier sports betting experiences to their customers. Through OpenBet, our robust and powerful sportsbook platform, Caesars will be equipped with a genuinely open platform and a comprehensive product suite that offers the most flexible and superior solutions. It has a proven track record of managing the highest proportion of the world’s online bets, with over 2 billion online bets placed per year. Our SG Digital team is eager to support Caesars in maintaining their competitive edge as they strive to broaden their sports betting, digital, and mobile services into newly regulated markets.
This agreement marks the inaugural all-American partnership, involving an American casino and American software provider.
