Gambling in the USA
Light & Wonder Increases Custom Content Capabilities through Acquisition of Open Game Development Platform and Content Provider Playzido
Purchase of Supplier to Aid Distribution of Innovative Content Worldwide
Light & Wonder, Inc., formerly known as Scientific Games Corporation, announced that the Company has significantly increased the scope of its iGaming content capabilities with the acquisition of Playzido, a dynamic content creation platform provider and game supplier.
Playzido’s proprietary Remote Gaming Server (RGS) platform is one of the best in the iGaming industry for rapid custom game development.
Their open and agile platform will accelerate the pace at which L&W can partner with game studios and operators across the globe to co-create new and exclusive content for players.
Plazyido’s platform will accelerate the L&W partnership strategy that has already been instrumental in the creation of content for studios like Lightning Box, who was also recently acquired by L&W.
This acquisition will provide a faster route to market for creative studios who do not own their own development platform, who can now utilize Playzido’s advanced technology to rapidly develop exciting and engaging content and take advantage of L&W’s industry-leading and regulatory-ready OpenGaming™ aggregation platform to distribute more games than ever before across L&W’s operator network. For operators, this will not only provide new and exciting content, but also facilitates their growing demand to develop and launch unique content.
This marks another step towards Light & Wonder’s vision of becoming the leading cross-platform global game company.
Launched in 2018 by former Paddy Power and Betfair alumni, Stuart Banks, Playzido has developed a strong footing in European markets, and now, with Light & Wonder, is primed to scale further in these markets and to break into North American markets. Playzido’s flexible technology is purpose-built for creative independent studios by supporting every game type and incorporating elements including multiplayer games and jackpots.
Dylan Slaney, CEO at Light & Wonder, iGaming said: “The Playzido deal is a perfect example of an acquisition that dovetails with our global strategy, demonstrating yet again our commitment to make targeted value-enhancing investments designed to advance our cross-platform content capabilities.
“Playzido’s platform is one of the best in the industry and we are delighted to be able to harness that technology to help studios and operators globally to develop and distribute game content that will continue to resonate with players. Light & Wonder is the go-to partner for game development and distribution globally, delivering the perfect combination of technology, network, and services.”
Stuart Banks at Playzido said: “This deal is testament to the drive and dedication of our team, who have been committed to building a fantastic games platform that allows independent studios and operators to bring their creativity and innovation to the global gaming market.
“It is the perfect moment to become part of the Light & Wonder family, with the distribution power of OpenGaming, and their regulatory expertise, we can look to accelerate quickly by bringing on board more studios than ever before. The synergies behind the acquisition are clear and we will now turn our attention to extending our reach across markets across the world.”
The latest deal by Light & Wonder follows recent high-profile iGaming acquisitions of slot developer Lightning Box, premium live casino provider Authentic Gaming and leading European slot developer ELK Studios.
The three Detroit casinos reported $123.86 million in monthly aggregate revenue (AGR) for the month of March 2024, of which $122.26 million was generated from table games and slots, and $1.6 million from retail sports betting.
The March market shares were:
- MGM, 46%
- MotorCity, 31%
- Hollywood Casino at Greektown, 23%
Monthly Table Games, Slot Revenue, and Taxes
March 2024 table games and slot revenue increased 3.8% when compared to March 2023 revenue. March’s monthly revenue was 16.7% higher than February 2024. From Jan. 1 through March 31, the Detroit casinos’ table games and slots revenue decreased by 1.6% compared to the same period last year.
The casinos’ monthly gaming revenue results were mixed compared to March 2023:
- MGM, up 4.1% to $56.65 million
- MotorCity, up 7.2% to $38.35 million
- Hollywood Casino at Greektown, down 1.4% to $27.26 million
In March 2024, the three Detroit casinos paid $9.9 million in gaming taxes to the State of Michigan. They paid $9.5 million for the same month last year. The casinos also reported submitting $14.5 million in wagering taxes and development agreement payments to the City of Detroit in March.
Monthly Retail Sports Betting Revenue and Taxes
The three Detroit casinos reported $17.25 million in total retail sports betting handle, and total gross receipts were $1.61 million for the month of March. Retail sports betting qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR) in March were up by 13.2% when compared to the same month last year. Compared to February 2024, March QAGR was up by $1.7 million.
March QAGR by casino was:
- MGM: $327,857
- MotorCity: $538,988
- Hollywood Casino at Greektown: $731,389
During March, the casinos paid $60,413 in gaming taxes to the state and reported submitting $73,838 in wagering taxes to the City of Detroit based on their retail sports betting revenue.
Fantasy Contests
For February 2024, fantasy contest operators reported total adjusted revenues of $405,342 and paid taxes of $34,049.
Gambling in the USA
IGT Wheel of Fortune and Powerbucks Slots Award Monumental Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in March
International Game Technology PLC (IGT) announced that its Wheel of Fortune and Powerbucks slots awarded four life-changing jackpots totaling more than $5 million in March.
Lucky slots players won the following million-dollar-plus jackpots last month:
- On March 8, a Wheel of Fortune slots player won $1,254,996 playing Wheel of Fortune Triple Gold Gold Spin at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss.
- On March 12, a Wheel of Fortune slots player won $1,635,694 playing Wheel of Fortune Triple Gold Gold Spin Megatower at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas in Nevada.
- On March 22, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,485,994 playing Wheel of Fortune Lucky Coins On Stage at Chances Casino Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada.
- On March 30, a Wheel of Fortune slots player won $1,172,262 playing Wheel of Fortune Gold Spin Triple Red Hot 7s at the California Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.
IGT Powerbucks slots have paid 56 jackpots of $1 million or more since their Canadian debut in 2016. Wheel of Fortune slots have minted over 1100 millionaires and awarded over $3.5 billion in jackpots since their launch in 1996.
Gambling in the USA
Play’n GO Announces Expansion of Rush Street Interactive Partnership with Pennsylvania Launch on BetRivers Platform
Swedish gaming giants’ games now live with leading operator Rush Street Interactive Incorporated in Michigan, West Virginia, New Jersey and ‘The Keystone State’
Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced further expansion of its partnership with leading United States operator Rush Street Interactive Incorporated (NYSE: RSI) (RSI), which operates the BetRivers platform. The Swedish gaming giant’s content is now available with BetRivers in Pennsylvania.
Play’n GO has already had great success with RSI via the BetRivers brand in Michigan, New Jersey and West Virginia and this expansion sees the partnership extend to a fourth United States state. This announcement follows Play’n GO’s procurement of a Pennsylvania license in March and will see BetRivers players in Pennsylvania gain access to some classic titles from the Play’n GO catalogue including Reactoonz and Boat Bonanza.
Play’n GO is now licensed in six United States states and is aiming to be active in every regulated market in the United States and around the world.
“We’re excited to expand our United States offering into the great state of Pennsylvania and are proud to do so with the innovative and well-respected team at BetRivers, with whom we’ve already enjoyed such great success in recent months,” the North America Commercial Director for Play’n GO, Magnus Natt och Dag, said. “Play’n GO is committed to a safe, sustainable entertainment-led industry and we know that the team at BetRivers shares that same vision.”
“We’re very happy to be expanding our partnership with Play’n Go into Pennsylvania on our BetRivers platform,” the Chief Executive Officer for RSI, Richard Schwartz, said. “Play’n Go has an impressive portfolio of popular titles and we are thrilled to offer our BetRivers PA players its innovative and top-quality games.”
To find out more about working with Play’n GO in the United States and other regulated markets, please visit PlaynGO. com.
-
Gambling in the USA5 days agoPlay’n GO Announces Expansion of Rush Street Interactive Partnership with Pennsylvania Launch on BetRivers Platform
-
Gambling in the USA6 days agoBMM Testlabs Receives Official Accreditation to Test and Certify Payment Solutions for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)
-
Latest News5 days agoPopular slot and live casino developer put pen to paper on a long-term deal with Mexican casino operator PlayUZU.
-
Latest News1 day agoLight & Wonder Taps Trustly to Power Cashless Payments at Casinos
-
Latest News6 days agoOptimove announcement: Strategic Partnership with DataDots to Accelerate Data Integration for Marketing Success
-
Latest News5 days agoPlaytika’s Solitaire Grand Harvest Teams Up with Dr. Phil’s New Merit Street Media TV Network to Inspire Viewers Through Play
-
Latest News4 days agoSTAKELOGIC INKS NEW DEAL WITH PLAYUZU TO BOOST MEXICAN PRESENCE
-
Latest News6 days agoJACK Entertainment Selects Konami Gaming as its Exclusive Casino Management System Partner