Gambling in the USA
Sacramento Kings Partner with MGM Resorts and Xperiel
The Sacramento Kings announced a partnership with MGM Resorts International and Xperiel, the inventor of the Real World Web platform, to provide new incentives to fans engaging with the NBA’s first free-to-play gaming experience. “Call the Shot” is available for fans within the Fan Zone of the award-winning, dual-mode Sacramento Kings + Golden 1Center app, which was first released in 2016.
“Call the Shot” allows fans to predict the outcomes of game quarters, player performance as well as interact with their favorite NBA team – all while offering in-app prize opportunities with no purchase required to participate. Featuring MGM Resorts as its premier gaming sponsor, “Call the Shot” is the first mobile offering from an NBA team that offers high-frequency predictive gaming to fans.
“We are committed to exploring new ways that technology can be used to engage with fans as they consume and interact with the game,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “The future is experiential and we are proud to lead the way in continuing to redefine the fan experience with this innovative and interactive platform.”
“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with the Kings to become their exclusive presenting partner for the Call the Shot game,” said MGM Resorts International President of Interactive Gaming Scott Butera. “MGM Resorts looks forward to this unique opportunity to innovate free-to-play gaming and provide fans with a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.”
“When we first started working with the Kings a few years ago, Vivek Ranadivé had the vision that any predictive gaming experience we create together should have a Vegas-like gaming feel without the actual wagering,” said Xperiel CEO and co-founder Alex Hertel. “It is thrilling to see what we’ve built under Vivek’s guidance and look forward to continuing to work with the Kings and other NBA teams to create immersive digital fan experiences and drive sports technology innovation with our Real World Web platform.”
Fans utilizing “Call the Shot” can make real-time predictions on shooting percentage, top scoring teams, top scoring players, which team will have the highest rebounds and more. These predictions can be made before the game and during each quarter, with correct guesses awarded virtual credits that can be used for in-app prize opportunities or to continue playing until the end of the game.
Virtual credits won in the Xperiel activations can only be redeemed in the Sacramento Kings + Golden 1 Center app, are non-transferable and have no monetary value. During the game, successful fans playing both at the arena and at home will have their names appear on the leaderboard within the app and then projected onto the 4K Ultra HD videoboard, VSP SKEYE View, at Golden 1 Center. After the game, fans can use virtual credits for in-app prize opportunities. Prizes may include a wide selection of autographed Kings gear and game tickets. Season-length grand prizes will be fulfilled through a partnership between Xperiel and Amazon.
MGM Resorts, which signed a multi-year long-term partnership agreement with the NBA in July, is participating as the league’s official gaming partner, providing prizes and helping to create an exciting, Vegas-like experience for app users. MGM Resorts seized the opportunity to extend its commitment to the growth of the NBA by partnering with the Kings, the first NBA team to provide a more immersive free-to-play gamified app-based experience for fans both at Golden 1 Center and those watching remotely.
“Call the Shot” is the result of a multiyear partnership between Xperiel and the Kings. Previously, Kings fans have used “Photo in the Plaza” through the team’s proprietary mobile app to post selfies that appear on the arena’s exterior screens and catch virtual basketballs via an augmented reality prize cannon.
In addition to its partnership with the Kings, Xperiel is partnering with Amazon to fulfill delivery of season grand prizes – which may include a Microsoft XBox ‘One S’ with NBA 2K18, a Sonos PLAY:1 sound system and an Amazon Echo Show – directly to winners’ homes.
Xperiel has partnered with sports teams for several years to create more dynamic, gamified fan experiences that provide mobile users a variety of different ways to interact with their favorite sports teams as well as smart stadiums and a wide variety of IoT sensors. The Xperiel platform merges the Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented reality to create a diverse network of connected devices called the Real World Web. Delivered through personal devices and location-based infrastructure, the gamified experiences tap into the excitement of Kings games and offers fans a fundamentally new way to try to guess the outcome of various aspects of games and player performances.
About MGM Resorts International:
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 29 unique hotel and destination gaming offerings including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. Expanding throughout the U.S. and around the world, the company acquired the operations of Empire City Casino in New York in 2019, and in 2018, opened MGM Springfield in Massachusetts, MGM COTAI in Macau, and the first Bellagio-branded hotel in Shanghai. The over 82,000 global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies®. For more information visit us at www.mgmresorts.com.
About Xperiel:
Xperiel, inventor of the Real World Web (RWW), merges the physical and digital worlds by enabling mixed reality, predictive gaming and immersive experiences accessible to consumers through brands’ existing or new mobile apps. Xperiel’s RWW platform provides a device-agnostic operating system for the Internet of Things (IoT) which connects consumer devices to the world around them and connects all technology together into a single network. Using Xperiel’s patented, easy-to-use graphical programming language Pebbles, organizations across the retail, professional sports and entertainment spectrum (and beyond) can quickly, cost-effectively design and deliver interactive, customized apps in a few days or weeks, not months—without the expense of time-consuming development efforts. Teams and brands including the New York Jets, the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pepsico and MGM work with Xperiel to deploy interactive applications that drive consumer engagement and customer loyalty while increasing revenue opportunities in today’s fast-paced, digital world. www.xperiel.com
Gambling in the USA
Bitline and Everi Announce Crypto Liquidity for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts in Industry First Development
Bitline, the only provider for casino chip access directly from cryptocurrency, has announced its first major collaboration in the U.S. casino market, teaming up with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts through its collaboration with Everi, a premier provider of financial technology and gaming solutions. This collaboration introduces cryptocurrency and digital assets as a new source of liquidity for casino patrons and marks the first time that such a functionality has been enabled within the American gaming industry.
Leveraging Everi’s CashClub’s comprehensive payment infrastructure, Bitline’s solution is able to efficiently board, screen and verify patrons looking to leverage their digital assets whilst also allowing patrons to move screened assets into custody within minutes. Bitline’s integration with Everi Cash Club, the leading financial access services suite for casino payments, will enable the technology for the benefit of Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, and is the first time that such a functionality has been possible in the U.S. regulated casino market.
Catering to the growing demand for greater cryptocurrency and digital asset integration within the casino industry, the collaboration between Bitline and Everi’s forms a transferable blueprint that offers casino operators and their patrons an alternative way to manage funds, access liquidity, and leverage the benefits of cryptocurrency and other digital assets.
This milestone reflects a strategic shift in how casino operators view and manage financial interactions with their guests. The introduction of cryptocurrency as a liquidity solution provides additional options for guests and lays the foundation for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts as it looks to the future of gaming sector finance, setting a new standard in financial accessibility and convenience.
“Working with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts and Everi to make this a reality is a historical moment for both the casino and blockchain industries. Bitline was conceptualized to advance the gaming sector and offer a wider variety of financial options for the casino industry,” said Richard Jones, CEO at Bitline. “We’re entering an era where digital assets can fundamentally enhance the gaming experience, providing casino operators with a future-ready financial framework that can expand and evolve as the industry does. This collaboration is just the beginning of our vision to modernize casino payment capabilities on a global scale.”
Victor Newsom, SVP Product Management, Payments Solutions at Everi comments “This unique integration combines BitLine’s additional payment accessibility options with Everi’s ability to enable seamless, secure, and regulatory compliant financial transactions for casino patrons. Designed from the ground up to exceed the rigorous compliance demands of the industry as well as the discerning expectations of gaming VIPs around the world, Choctaw’s patrons are now no longer limited to the access, times, amount, and speed constraints of the legacy financial systems. This also significantly reduces risk for our casino customers, such as Choctaw.”
“We are excited to be the first casino in North America to offer our guests another way to play,” said Thomas McDonald, Senior Director of Cage and Credit at Choctaw Casinos & Resorts. “Through our long-term relationship with Everi, a leader in fintech solutions, we will continue to invest in innovative offerings that provide the discerning gaming VIP access to funds in a safe and secure manner.”
The Choctaw Casinos & Resorts integration represents only the first phase of Bitline’s broader mission to bring cryptocurrency solutions to casinos and casino patrons worldwide. As cryptocurrency and digital assets continue to gain traction in the gaming sector, Bitline’s easy to integrate and patented payment model stands poised to become a key player in transforming gaming finance. Future plans include expanding services across other major casinos and gaming markets, both domestically and internationally, establishing cryptocurrency as a new standard feature of the gaming experience.
The solution is to be formally rolled out on March 7, 2025, with the first transaction taking place at Choctaw’s Durant, Oklahoma, location.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has taken decisive action against five offshore online casinos, sending cease-and-desist letters for violating state gaming laws. These websites offer a variety of casino games, such as slots, poker, blackjack, Keno, bingo, and game show games, in addition to sports betting.
The following unlicensed operators are now under scrutiny following the MGCB’s action:
BetWhale Casino, Curaçao
Black Lotus Casino, owned by TD Investments Ltd., Belize
Coins Game Casino, Curaçao
Love2play Casino, Curaçao and Costa Rica
Orion Stars 777 Players, Sichuan Province, China
“These illegal platforms not only violate Michigan’s gaming regulations but also put consumers at risk by offering unreliable withdrawal options and lacking essential consumer protections. Our top priority is safeguarding Michigan residents by ensuring that all online gaming activities are conducted legally and safely. These operators must stop their activities or face additional legal consequences,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said.
Investigations into these illegal activities have revealed that the operators are in violation of multiple Michigan state laws.
Despite offering various payment options like Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin and Ethereum), these illegal operators impose strict withdrawal conditions, often requiring players to wager their initial deposits multiple times before they can access their winnings.
The MGCB has given these operators 14 days from the date of receipt of the cease-and-desist letters to halt their illegal activities.
Cryptocurrency
Bitline and Everi Announce Crypto Liquidity for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts in Industry First Development
Bitline, the only provider for casino chip access directly from cryptocurrency, has announced its first major collaboration in the U.S. casino market, teaming up with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts through its collaboration with Everi’s CashClub, the leading financial access services suit for casino payments. This collaboration introduces cryptocurrency and digital assets as a new source of liquidity for casino patrons and marks the first time that such a functionality has been enabled within the American gaming industry.
Leveraging Everi’s CashClub’s comprehensive payment infrastructure, Bitline’s solution is able to efficiently board, screen and verify patrons looking to leverage their digital assets whilst also allowing patrons to move screened assets into custody within minutes. Bitline’s integration with Everi’s CashClub, will enable the technology for the benefit of Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, and is the first time that such a functionality has been possible in the U.S. regulated casino market.
The collaboration works to cater to the growing demand for greater cryptocurrency and digital asset integration within the casino industry. The collaboration between Bitline and Everi’s CashClub forms a transferable blueprint that offers casino operators and their patrons an alternative way to manage funds, access liquidity, and leverage the benefits of cryptocurrency and other digital assets.
This milestone reflects a strategic shift in how casino operators view and manage financial interactions with their guests. The introduction of cryptocurrency as a liquidity solution provides additional options for guests and lays the foundation for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts as it looks to the future of gaming sector finance, setting a new standard in financial accessibility and convenience.
“Working with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts and Everi’s CashClub to make this a reality is a historical moment for both the casino and blockchain industries. Bitline was conceptualized to advance the gaming sector and offer a wider variety of financial options for the casino industry,” said Richard Jones, CEO at Bitline. “We’re entering an era where digital assets can fundamentally enhance the gaming experience, providing casino operators with a future-ready financial framework that can expand and evolve as the industry does. This collaboration is just the beginning of our vision to modernize casino payment capabilities on a global scale.”
“We are excited to be the first casino in North America to offer our guests another way to play,” said Thomas McDonald, Senior Director of Cage and Credit at Choctaw Casinos & Resorts. “Through our long-term relationship with Everi, a leader in fintech solutions, we will continue to invest in innovative offerings that provide the discerning gaming VIP access to funds in a safe and secure manner.”
The Choctaw Casinos & Resorts integration represents only the first phase of Bitline’s broader mission to bring cryptocurrency solutions to casinos and casino patrons worldwide. As cryptocurrency and digital assets continue to gain traction in the gaming sector, Bitline’s easy to integrate and patented payment model stands poised to become a key player in transforming gaming finance. Future plans include expanding services across other major casinos and gaming markets, both domestically and internationally, establishing cryptocurrency as a new standard feature of the gaming experience.
The solution is to be formally rolled out on March 7, 2025, with the first transaction taking place at Choctaw’s Durant, Oklahoma, location.
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