William Hill US has agreed to provide both land-based and mobile sports betting services to Eldorado Resorts’ Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf and Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo in Iowa.
Under the agreement, William Hill will serve as the official sportsbook operator at both venues, providing Iowa punters with access to its mobile app, kiosks and InPlay wagering menu.
The bookmaker will begin its sportsbook operations when legal sports betting launches in Iowa. Subject to regulatory approval, the state’s market is due to go live next month.
The deal is an extension of the 25-year partnership agreed between William Hill and Eldorado in September of last year. The deal establishes William Hill as the exclusive partner in the provision of digital and land-based sports betting services, as well as online gaming, to Eldorado’s casinos across the US.
“We are thrilled to build on our already extensive relationship with Eldorado Resorts as the sports betting industry continues to gain momentum,” William Hill US president of retail operations David Grolman said. “As a growth-fuelled company, they have taken monumental steps to become leaders in the gaming industry.”
Anthony Carano, president and chief operating officer of Eldorado, added: “Expanding the William Hill relationship to include Iowa offers our loyal customers a full complement of gaming action and plays an important role in providing guests the unbelievable experience they have come to expect from Eldorado Resorts.”
The two parties finalized the partnership agreement in January, with US casino operator Eldorado acquiring a $50m equity stake in William Hill, and a 20% stake in its William Hill US subsidiary, as part of the US-focused arrangement.
The arrangement gives William Hill the rights to operate online sports betting under the first skin to launch via Eldorado’s licence – in markets that require online operators to have a land-based partner – as well as the third skin, where applicable.
In addition, where regulation permits, William Hill will have the option to offer online casino and poker under any second skin launched via Eldorado’s licence.
In May, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill to legalize in-person, online and mobile sports betting in Iowa.