Moves made in three states
Three gaming giants have juiced up June by expanding their respective US footprint this week.
In Hankison, North Dakota, International Game Technology (IGT)’s PlaySports platform will power retail sports wagering at the Dakota Magic Casino and Hotel. Meanwhile, High 5 Games has beefed up its Michigan iGaming presence by launching games with Churchill Downs and WynnBet.
Also this week, EveryMatrix took to Twitter to announce the formation of Armadillo Studios in its maiden US iGaming investment:
The Malta-based B2B iGaming software provider announced on June 3 that it was ready to develop US market-facing online casino games by launching Armadillo Studios out of its US EveryMatrix HQ in Miami. EveryMatrix Group CEO Ebbe Groes said in an official release that his firm was confident it would be “a leading casino supplier in the U.S. market by 2023.”
building the American Dream […] in Miami”
The newly formed Armadillo is already recruiting for product development and design roles, with CEO Razvan Haiduc saying the studio’s games “will bring loads of excitement and entertainment to casino aficionados across states”. Haidic added that the Armadillo team would be “building the American Dream […] in Miami later this summer.”
PlaySports posses up in North Dakota
Over 2,200 miles northwest of Miami in the Great Plains region, Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise – the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe’s gaming arm – has welcomed IGT’s PlaySports to its Dakota Magic Casino and Hotel in North Dakota.
According to a news release on June 3, PlaySports will power sports betting at the tribe-owned-and-operated casino, complete with self-service betting kiosks and trading advisory services.
three months after it got the regulatory green light in Nevada
IGT’s North Dakota breakthrough comes three months after it got the regulatory green light in Nevada to provide its PlaySports retail and mobile sports wagering technology to any sportsbook in the entirety of the Silver State.
Dakota Magic Casino and Hotel general manager Wanda Varns said the proven PlaySports platform gives the casino the chance to offer “a compelling new element of gaming […] and expands our gaming offerings to attract additional players and sports fans.”
Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise CFO, Weston Quinn, concurred, saying leverage of IGT’s sports betting-related firepower and “deep-rooted expertise” will help the casino “establish a successful sports betting offering.”
For IGT PlayDigital senior vice president Enrico Drago, the tie-up with one of the biggest tribal casinos in North Dakota “represents another opportunity for IGT to expand our sports betting footprint” in the state.
High 5 Games rising in the East
Eastward into Michigan, it’s the turn of New York-based content producer High 5 Games to flex its iGaming muscles. The company this week launched its portfolio of game titles with Churchill Downs’ TwinSpires brand and WynnBET.
High 5 Games took to Twitter on June 2 to announce that its popular medieval-themed online slot Joker’s Riches would be available to all its partnering operators in the state:
High 5 Games’ director of client partner, Lauren Gazneli, said Michigan was key for her firm, “fueled by the incredible response we’ve seen so far.”
we’re inking more partnerships to help put our brand of entertainment in front of more eyes”
Gazneli added that online Michigander players have been asking for well-loved land-based games, “so we’re inking more partnerships to help put our brand of entertainment in front of more eyes.”