Delaware North, a global hospitality and entertainment company with a portfolio of regional casinos and an interactive gaming division, has selected leading online gaming platform, content and services provider Playtech to power its Betly mobile sportsbook and casino.

Playtech is the new platform provider for the Betly sportsbooks, starting with Betly Ohio, which launched this month and replaces MVGBet in an affiliate license partnership with Miami Valley Gaming, a Delaware North joint-venture property located between Cincinnati and Dayton. The Betly sportsbooks in Arkansas, Tennessee and West Virginia, a state where Betly also offers an online casino in addition to sports betting, will be migrated to the Playtech platform in the coming months.

“We are very pleased to partner with Playtech to provide Betly customers with an enhanced mobile sports betting and online casino experience powered by an industry leader,” said Lee Terfloth, chief interactive gaming officer for Delaware North. 

“Not only that, but our team can now offer players robust promotional features through the Playtech platform, which will allow Betly to offer customers an array of enticing and personalized offerings, including bonus bets, boosts, drawings and tournaments. As a result, customers will experience tailored content to engage them based on their historical betting activity,” Terfloth said.

Responsible Gaming

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Betly is committed to promoting and encouraging responsible gaming and offering users informational resources to support and identify problem gambling, as well as promoting intelligent tools that allow players to set deposit, loss, session time and money-spent limits.

With the migration to the Playtech platform, Delaware North has access to the suite of Playtech’s responsible gaming solutions. This includes BetBuddy, which features best-in-class responsible gaming technology that provides enhanced insights into potential at-risk player behaviors and supports operators with the insights to enable early intervention and personalized messaging for those exhibiting at-risk behavior.

Delaware North has also partnered with Birches Health, a leading national behavioral addiction program providing online treatment for addictions to gambling, sports betting and other activities. Through this relationship, Delaware North will integrate customized behavioral health assessments into the Betly application. This will provide individuals on the platform a real digital resource to gauge their relationship with gaming and seek help from certified mental health counselors. Birches Health will provide all Delaware North staff with clinician-led responsible gaming training and access to curated responsible gaming content.

The Betly Sportsbook Ohio statewide mobile sports betting app is now live on Apple App Store for iOS, Google Play Storefor Android and on desktop at oh.betly.com.

Additional Features

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Betly Sportsbook Ohio is expanding its customer support services with a larger team available via phone support for an optimized experience and reduced wait times for customers. Betly now also features an enhanced customer onboarding process, a variety of payment options, player journey automations, diverse bonusing capabilities and enhanced responsible gaming and customer intervention.

Wagering capabilities include same-game parlays, regional curated odds boosts, a variety of pre-match and in-play player props, minimized suspension times on in-play sporting events, teaser bets and automated promotional functionality on results-based outcomes. Betly Sportsbook Ohio will feature official National Football League data via Genius Sports.

Arizona Department of Gaming (“ADG”) Intelligence Agents, with aid from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (“AZDPS”), successfully concluded an investigation into an alleged illegal gambling operation involving gun raffles in Tucson, Arizona.

This operation resulted in the arrest of two (2) individuals, who face multiple felony charges, and the seizure of four hundred and fifty-two (452) firearms, plus ammunition, firearm accessories, over $4000 in cash, and bank accounts.

“Record-breaking seizures like this only further highlight the criminal activity that illegal gambling establishments attract when they go unregulated, posing a significant threat to public safety,” said Jackie Johnson, Director of the Arizona Department of Gaming. “I commend the exceptional work of our ADG Intelligence Unit for their unwavering dedication in investigating and addressing illegal gambling activities throughout the state. Their thorough and diligent efforts play a crucial role in protecting the public and ensuring compliance with Arizona’s gaming laws. I also want to extend my appreciation to our partners at the Arizona Department of Public Safety for their vital support during this enforcement operation.”

“I would like to congratulate the Arizona Department of Gaming on this sizable seizure of weapons and ammunition. Thanks to their efforts, two criminals are off the streets, and over 450 firearms are no longer available for criminal use.” Said Colonel Jeffrey Glover, Director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety. “I’m proud of the work done by my agency and we will continue to assist any law enforcement agency that requests our help. Collaboration between agencies in the State of Arizona is stronger today than ever, and the AZDPS will always be dedicated to those continued partnerships.”

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Following this recent enforcement action, the Arizona Department of Gaming urges residents to exercise caution when conducting raffles, bingo, or other forms of social, amusement, or charitable gambling to ensure they are in full compliance with the law. ADG takes complaints about illegal gambling seriously. To report suspected illegal gambling activity, visit our website, call (602) 255-3886, or email [email protected]. You can remain anonymous.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has backed Texas to legalise online sports betting in the state’s next legislative session. 

Christie helped pave the way for sports betting liberalisation across the US by bringing the Supreme Court case that led to the repeal of PASPA.

The case was fought and won by prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who Christie hired to argue the case for states to make their own decisions on sports betting. Olson died last week at the age of 84.

After Missouri became the 39th US state to legalise sports betting in some capacity, attention has quickly turned again to the big three states of Texas, California, and Florida.

“I think it’ll happen in Texas in the next legislative session,” said Christie, speaking to Covers.com. The next session is due to commence in Texas on January 14, 2025.

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Christie is less confident about California, however, where competing sports betting ballots failed in 2022 amid a bitter dispute and lobbying war between online operators and local tribes.

California is seen as essential to the future prospects of US sports betting operators, given its size and wealth and dramatic impact on the country’s total addressable market (TAM).

“I don’t know about California,” said Christie. “This really takes gubernatorial leadership, and Gavin Newsom has got to decide if this is one of the issues he wants to lead on.

“Without gubernatorial leadership, the legislature won’t do it because they’re pulled like taffy in too many directions by too many different interests. Without the governor pushing for it, I just don’t think it’ll happen.”

Despite another potential setback in California, Christie has backed sports betting to penetrate pretty much every state eventually.

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“I really believe sports betting is inevitable to go just about nationwide, because people in America love their sports, they just do,” he said. “I think it is in the leagues’ best interests to grow their audience. The government gets some piece of the pie out of that which they enjoy, and the public seems to be pretty happy for the most part.”

Depending on expansion, US sports betting could, in theory, reach every state. It would then become a national issue, but Christie has warned the federal government not to interfere.

“Let the states handle it,” he said. “The states are doing fine. You haven’t heard of anything awful or irreversible happening since each state has been involved and they should have the ability to decide whether they want gambling or not.

“I don’t think the federal government should have anything to do with it and I don’t think they ever should have. I don’t think they have to be babysitters for the governors of the country.”

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