Scientific Games is making good on its expansion plans in the US sports betting market. Just recently, it debuted its comprehensive mobile sports wagering solution in the country’s most prosperous betting market in partnership with casino operator Golden Nugget Online Gaming. That means that Golden Nugget customers will also benefit heavily from Scientific Games’ OpenSports product, which is one of the most advanced sports wagering technologies available.
Golden Nugget together with Scientific has already debuted the same product in Michigan, which further adds weight to Scientific Games’ growing presence in the US wagering market. The next state in the country that the pair plans to launch the product in is Pennsylvania. Scientific Games OpenSports products will give access to punters in these regions a whole host of features including Quick Parlays, promotions such as Next Bet On Us!, Bet Builder, Daily Enhanced Odds, Bet Builder, and a lot more.
Last year, Scientific Games struck a similar deal with Hard Rock. Scientific Games has been the exclusive provider of digital and retail solutions for Hard Rock International’s sportsbooks including those situated in New Jersey. Scientific Games has been a top partner for casino aggregation in the US for at least 2 years now. As sports betting continues to expand across the country, Scientific Games will keep making such partnerships that further establish it as the go-to solution moving forward.
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So what exactly is Scientific Games’ innovative technology program?
Scientific Games launched its OpenSports technology in later 2019 and since then, it has grown by leaps and bounds. OpenSports offers sportsbooks a suite of sports wagering technology that not only enhances productivity levels but also the speed to market delivery with improved player experience as the primary concern.
The sportsbook technology offers customers an array of 5 products that can be mixed to suit an operator’s needs. The first and most popular product is OpenBet, which is Scientific’s core sports wagering tech solution. OpenBet allows sportsbooks to run efficiently on an international scale.
The second technology, OpenPlatform, supplies fully compliant punter accounts, as well as wallet services and functionality. The third, OpenTrade, acquired Don Best Sports which allows sportsbooks to offer odds, pricing, and in-game feeds. OpenEngage, on the other hand, allows sportsbooks to offer gamblers different interfaces on apps, on the web, and desktop. OpenEngage is also what powers retail betting.
Lastly, the 5th technology solution, OpenAccelerate, helps sportsbooks and casinos run the day-to-day business of their operations. OpenAccelerate helps sportsbooks keep track of their performance including player acquisition, retention, and engagement. Together, the 5 technology solutions allow sportsbooks to offer their customers an unrivaled player experience.
Scientific Games has been providing sports wagering solutions to operators since the 90s. In total, Scientific serves operators in more than 16 countries. In addition to its innovative technology, Scientific Games was also the first to get certified by the World Lottery Association as a responsible gaming supplier. To add to its long list of accolades, it was also the first sports wagering technology supplier to join the Global Lottery Monitoring System, which guarantees the uprightness of sports wagering globally.
New Jersey iGaming going strong
In the meantime, Gambling revenue in New Jersey keeps recording record growth according to data shared by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. In total, New Jersey revenue in March 2021 amounted to $359.3m an increase of $163.5m compared to the same period last year. Sports wagering saw the highest growth with revenue jumping an impressive 360.9%.
In April, punters in New Jersey betted almost 859.6m on sports with the majority of the bets being placed online. Specifically, $780.1m worth of wagers were placed online while the remaining $79.5m was spread out across the state’s sportsbooks. As one can expect, FanDuel and PointsBet at Meadowlands emerged as the top revenue earners.
Online gaming, on the other hand, totaled $113.7m, an increase of 75.4% from the same period last year. online slots contributed a remarkable $111.0m while the remaining $2.7m was generated by various online games.
Fast forward to April and the results are even better. In April, gambling revenue increased by 326.4% to reach $352.2m as the state’s casinos were still operating at 80% efficiency in April. Total market revenue for the month was considerably higher compared to the paltry $82.6m that was generated in April 2020.
Last year during the same period, all brick and mortar casinos had been closed due to the pandemic. Most sportsbooks were still offering sports betting in April 2020 but the offerings were extremely limited because of the sports shutdown that also took place early last year. But today, all sports action is back with some sports even allowing fans to attend in person.
In April, sports wagering revenue increased by an extraordinary 1,892.3% year-on-year to reach $51.8m. The state’s overall wagering handle also increased dramatically by 1,270.0% to reach $748.0m. Of this amount, $681.2m was wagered online while the remaining $66.8m was wagered in brick and mortar sportsbooks.
Fixed-odds betting coming soon to the Garden State
As New Jersey punters prepare to welcome fixed odds betting into the state, the revenue is bound to increase in the coming months. New Jersey has always been at the forefront of sports betting innovation. It was the first to legalize sports wagering and soon, it will also be the first to legalize fixed-odds wagering in the country.
Fixed-odds betting has only ever been allowed for sports betting but never for horse races. Thankfully, however, 2 bills to introduce fixed-odds wagering at horse races were recently approved by the House Committee, which inches them closer to being signed into law.
Fixed-odds wagering on horse races has been a fixture in most gaming markets around the world. But this is the first time it will be introduced in the country for American punters. With fixed odds wagering, horse tracks like Monmouth Park are hoping to generate a lot of interest from younger sports betting fans that are already used to how fixed odds betting works.
