William Hill continues to expand its presence in the American sports betting market, announcing Tuesday that it would be partnering with International Game Technology (IGT) to create a full service solution for sports betting that will be offered to state lotteries in the USA.
The two companies have already worked together on such a project, having paired to win the contract to run sports betting services for the Rhode Island Lottery last month.
Agreement Targets Lotteries as Potential Betting Operators
Under the agreement announced this week, the two companies will now jointly consider sports betting opportunities and bid requests from US lotteries. No terms of the agreement were disclosed in the announcement.
“We are delighted to be expanding our relationship with IGT to address the US lottery market together,” said William Hill US CEO Joe Asher.
William Hill has taken a very aggressive stance towards the American sports betting market. With the bookmaker foreseeing some potential revenue hits back home in the UK, it is now looking for opportunities in the United States to fuel the company’s growth.
William Hill Becoming Major Player in USA
Over the last few months, it has become apparent that William Hill plans to capture a large share of the expanding American market. While the bookmaker was already a major player in Nevada, the Supreme Court decision that struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) offered new opportunities for William Hill US to become a national brand.
That started in New Jersey, where the company partnered with Monmouth Park to open the first legal sportsbook in the state. Over the summer, the company partnered with nearly a dozen casinos in Mississippi to operate sportsbooks, and reached a 25-year agreement with Eldorado Resorts to establish sportsbooks in their properties across the country.
The company has also gotten out in front of another potentially lucrative angle: partnering with major sports franchises. Last week, William Hill announced a multi-year agreement with the Vegas Golden Knights, the first such agreement between an NHL team and a sports betting operator.
IGT has a significant footprint in the American gaming industry as well, and already provides sports betting services through its PlayShot platform, which is currently being used by sportsbooks in four states. Teaming up with one of the world’s most recognizable bookmakers should give the gaming manufacturer a leg up in the increasingly competitive sports betting sector.
“We are delighted to be partnering with William Hill, whose proven leadership and capability in US sports betting operations will ensure that we are able to fully support our lottery customers as states start to regulate these products,” IGT’s CEO for North America, Renato Ascoli, said in a statement. “By forming this partnership with William Hill, we are able to bring to our lottery customers in every state a world-class combination of technology and operational expertise.”
