BetMGM Launches in Pennsylvania – 888 Signs Deals in 3 States
MGM Resorts and 888 Holdings have both made moves recently that will expand their foothold in legal US online gambling. For MGM Resorts, they have officially launched its BetMGM online casino product in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, 888 Holdings has signed agreements to offer online sport betting in three states. This deal will also give them contracts for real money casinos and online poker should they become legal in those areas.
MGM Resorts Launches BetMGM in Pennsylvania
Last week, MGM Resorts started the soft launch phase for its BetMGM product in Pennsylvania. The online casino will offer online slot games and online table games like Blackjack and roulette to players in the Keystone State.
According to BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt, “We’re thrilled to bring BetMGM’s online casino offering to Pennsylvania. With more than 140 different games, including our own in-house progressive jackpot network, we’re delivering the widest range of content currently available in the state. Alongside MGM Resorts and its M life Rewards program, BetMGM will provide players with a truly unique entertainment experience.”
BetMGM will be available for players on iOS, Android, and PC downloads. According to the press release, players will have access to progressive jackpot games along with video poker and the standard slate of table games offered by the platform.
The online casino will be part of MGM’s M Life Rewards Program, which allows players to earn points towards world-class experiences at MGM properties throughout the United States. The timing for this announcement couldn’t have been better. BetMGM recently announced that they are also the Gaming Partner for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.
BetMGM does not presently offer sports betting in Pennsylvania. However, this will change in the upcoming weeks as MGM Resorts plans to launch the product pending approval from state regulators.
888 Holdings Signs iGaming Contracts in Three States
Last week, 888 Holdings announced a trio of monumental deals that will see the company double its reach in the legal US iGaming market. The company has signed iGaming contracts in Colorado, Indiana, and Iowa. Initially, the contract allows for the company to offer sports betting services.
For Colorado, the company will partner with Colorado Grande Casino in Cripple Creek where it will offer 888Sport. In Iowa, 888Sport will be offered under Catfish Bend Casinos II LLC license. Finally, Harrah’s Hoosier Park in Indiana will offer sports betting services through 888Sport.
These deals are initially for sports betting, but do also include the rights to offer online poker and online casino gambling should the states ever legalize the activities. Out of the three, Iowa and Indiana have considered legalizing online poker in the past, but the bills never went very far.
According to 888’s SVP Head of Commercial Development Yaniv Sherman, “Expanding 888Sport.com into these three states represents another major milestone in our ongoing growth across the regulated U.S. online gaming market. We have deployed our proprietary technology in the U.S., and our exciting pipeline of new products will deliver industry-leading propositions to customers across both our B2B and B2C operations. We continue to appraise strategic partnerships that will provide additional brand-building and market access opportunities for 888 across the U.S. market in the near future.”
888 Move Brilliant as it Prepares Company for the Future
On the surface, the 888 Holdings deal seems fairly average and expected considering the constant expansion of sports betting in the United States. Where the move becomes brilliant is the company’s foresight to acquire the rights for online casino and online poker. While it is unclear when the states will legalize those activities, it is assumed it will happen in the future.
With 888 already holding the rights for both, this will give them a strategic advantage over other companies. They will already have integration for sports betting and adding online casino and online poker products will be simple. The company will be ready immediate to become a key player in both once the products are legalized.
