Last week was important for Rush Street Interactive (RSI), a subsidiary of Rush Street Gaming operating several online casinos across the United States, with the company launching its second iGaming portal in Pennsylvania.
As of January 30, 2020, RSI officially operates the BetRivers casino and sportsbook in PA, offering players a chance to dive into the world of remote gaming and experience quality iGaming products legally.
This is a second launch for RSI in Pennsylvania after the company previously set up the PlaySugarHouse.com casino in the state. Identical to Play Sugarhouse, BetRivers allows players to experience a variety of products and games, picking from over 60 slots, and popular table games, such as baccarat, roulette, and blackjack.
The launch coincided with another important event for the American gaming climate – the Super Bowl, with RSI president Richard Schwartz not hiding his excitement to open another sportsbook under the BetRivers.com just on time for the event.
Schwartz said that the company’s experience in New Jersey has enabled the company to pursue an expansion in the Keystone State and there are more similar moves coming over the next months.
The Play SugarHouse remains the flagship brand for RSI, but new prospects are being explored.
Meanwhile in Washington, state lawmakers Bill Jenkin, Brian Blake, and Zack Hudgins have all rallied behind House Bill 2720, a proposed legislation that would bar people from seeking loss recovery from social casinos.
As per the current legislation, and specifically under Washington’s Recovery of Money Lost at Gambling Act, a person who incurs financial losses in an illegal game of gambling, the said person could seek back losses.
Most notably, a lawsuit against Aristocrat, a game developer and maker of gaming cabinets, was filed, seeking to reclaim losses from the developer for simply using their products.
In a similarly-related case, the Quinault Indian Nation accused established video game developer, Valve Corporation, of facilitating underage gambling.
This has not been the first time that Valve had to fend off such accusations, becoming the center of attention back in 2016 when a class-action lawsuit was filed against the company on the grounds that its skins and loot boxes prompted children into betting, a statement that Valve vehemently denied.
As per the current House Bill 2720, companies should find a leeway out of such contentious claims that put them as responsible for people’s decisions. The bill could come into effect by June 10 if passed successfully and finding the necessary legal backup.
On the sports betting front, Colorado’s Twin River Casino Holdings has struck a deal with FanDuel, a popular sport betting company, launching the brand’s mobile sports app state-wide.
By agreeing to this move, Colorado is effectively the fifth state in which FanDuel has managed to settle a firm footprint and offer both online and mobile betting.
However, Twin Rivers is really playing the market, with a separate partnership signed with DraftKings, which is also launching its own activities in the state with the help of the Twin River Mardi Gras Casino in Black Hawk.
Interest in Pennsylvania as a viable place to launch online casinos has been incessant with a second brand announcing a roll-out late last week. BetAmerica has teamed up with Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) to bring around over 40 casino games to its online portfolio.
The offer holds some of the most exciting and important games a player could have an access to. Besides, after launching its sportsbook in December, BetRivers is now firmly decided to continue expanding its iGaming offer as Pennsylvania is an ideal place where this can happen.
In the meantime, promotions are already up and running and players can claim up to 100 free spins on slot games by signing up for the casino and following through with the promotions T&C’s.
Commenting on the latest expansion, BetAmerica boss Ian Williams said that the recent move was exciting for the company and everyone was thrilled about the opportunity to enter Pennsylvania.
By and far, it was Twin River Holdings’ week after the company announced yet another partnership with IGT for Rhode Island. The two companies are establishing a joint-venture in the state, which will be split 60% to 40% in favor of IGT.
As per the agreement, the companies will run a company that supplies gaming terminals to the state lottery. According to projections, estimated 6% of all machines will need to be replaced each year. Some 5% of these will be premium terminals.
IGT will be bringing an experienced veteran, Jay Gendron, who is currently the COO at IGT, to serve as the chairman of the new Joint Venture. Commenting on the deal, IGT Global Services chair Robert Vincent had this to say:
This announcement signals the start of a strong three-way partnership that includes not just the two companies, but the State of Rhode Island as well. -Robert Vincent, IGT Gobal Services Chairman
According to the companies, Rhode Island’s tax payers will be the ultimate beneficiaries of a successful business model involving the two companies. These benefits for tax payers would manifest themselves in the form of new and stable jobs as well as tax paid on the gross gaming revenue generated by the new joint venture.
PointsBet’s business in Q2 remained strong, the company revealed, with the Australian and US businesses of the company marking growth. As of December 31, 2019, the company posted nearly $200 million turnover in the months leading up to the date.
Net revenue was another big achievement for the company with the results marking a 117% increase year-on-year (YOY). The company also boosted its revenue in the US and specifically in Iowa and New Jersey.
Sports betting is still the main driver of gambling revenue in the states, but online casinos are slowly catching up.
Kevin was raised on sports since a young teen and following a (fortunate) injury pursued new hobbies in table games such as Blackjack and Poker. Since 2009 Kevin has been writing for casino sites for various big names in the industry and CasinoSites.us is but one of his latest passion projects.
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