Scientific Games and Caesars Entertainment are preparing to take their partnership into North Carolina and Illinois, following the latest roll-out in Indiana.
Legal sports betting went live in Indiana on 1 September, with Scientific Games powering the launch of a retail sportsbook at Caesars’ Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Shelbyville.
The partners have worked together on launches in a number of markets to date, with Caesars deploying the supplier’s OpenSports technology in states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Mississippi to date.
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Caesars in the US,” SG Digital group chief executive Jordan Levin said.
“OpenSports is a great platform that’s shown rock solid performance, putting players at the heart of the betting experience,” Levin explained. “With Scientific Games’ powerful retail solution and mobile sports product, we’ll continue to take bold steps when it comes to the player experience.”
Caesars vice president of gaming and interactive entertainment Christian Stuart added that the Indiana roll-out would continue the successful SG Digital-powered launches in other states.
“We look forward to seeing OpenSports further engage our players with the sleek user experience and high transaction volume we’ve come to expect from OpenSports.”
Next up will be Illinois, where Caesars operates the Harrah’s Joilet and Harrah’s Metropolis Riverboat Casino, and North Carolina, where it operates two tribal casinos.
In June, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law the gaming expansion bill passed by the state legislature. Illinois launched a public consultation in August as it develops regulations for the vertical, but is yet to set a state for the market opening.
North Carolina, meanwhile, has passed a bill allowing for betting at the state’s two tribal casinos, as well as a bill to conduct a study into the expansion of sports betting and the establishment of a new regulatory body in the state. Under the current conditions, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel, will be the only two venues permitted to offer wagering in the state.
Scientific Games also expects to launch mobile sports betting in Pennsylvania — where it powers the sportsbook at Caesars’ Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack — later this month. Iowa, where Caesars operates Harrah’s Hotel and Casino and Horseshoe Council Bluffs, is also likely to see mobile apps released before the end of the year.