Golden Nugget, Scientific Game Bolster iGaming Deal, Unveil Sports Betting Addition

Posted on: February 24, 2020, 06:00h. 

Last updated on: February 25, 2020, 08:57h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Golden Nugget, LLC said Monday it’s expanding its long-running iGaming pact with gaming technology provider Scientific Games and adding sports betting to the mix as well.

Golden Nugget and Scientific Games are adding to their gaming deal and sports betting is part of the mix. (Image: Pinterest)

Las Vegas-based Scientific Games is providing services for Golden Nugget’s online gaming (iGaming) in multiple states through 2024 and perhaps beyond, the companies said in a statement. Controlled by billionaire Tilman Fertitta, Golden Nugget has five US gaming properties – two in Nevada, and one apiece in Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey.

Scientific Games will supply Golden Nugget with its OpenGaming in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and, as regulations allow, potentially other states that legalize iGaming in the future,” according to the statement.

Golden Nugget does not have a brick-and-mortar casino in the Keystone State. But it does offer web-based gaming there, and the state is an increasingly significant player in the US sports wagering landscape. Last month, Pennsylvania’s total handle was $348.4 million, a $5.8 million increase from December.

Speaking of Sports Betting…

Golden Nugget will also be using the Scientific Games OpenSports platform, which features a variety of technology and tools for sportsbook operations. The gaming company will also be using risk management and trading services from Don Best Sports.

“The deployment of OpenSports will start with mobile sports betting in New Jersey, with additional states included as new states launch,” according to the statement, “There is also an option to roll out OpenSports in retail locations across multiple states, including New Jersey, Mississippi, and Nevada.”

New Jersey is another lucrative markets for sportsbook operators such as Golden Nugget. The state’s sports betting handle totaled more than $4.58 billion in 2019, and mobile betting is a vital part of that equation, as more than 80 percent of sports wagers placed in the Garden State are done online or via smartphones.

OpenSports includes capabilities for internet and mobile wagering and is designed to help operators bolster revenue and market share.

Financial terms of the deal between the two companies weren’t disclosed.

Flurry of Activity

Scientific Games has been busy in recent months, announcing an array of lottery and gaming deals. In December, the company said it landed a four-year contract with the Ohio Lottery Commission for management of instant games, extending a previous deal of the same length.

Last week, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) signed-off on Churchill Downs Inc.’s (CDI) plan to offer historical horse racing (HHR) machines using Scientific Games technology. The devices have the look of a traditional slot machine, but gamblers wager on the outcome of previous run horse races.

Scientific Games has experience in the sports betting field dating back to the 1990s and has 35 such clients in 16 countries, according to the company.