Penn National Gaming has entered into a partnership with Kambi, as it secures multi-year agreements with sports betting operators DraftKings, PointsBet, theScore and The Stars Group for online sports betting and igaming market access across the company’s portfolio.
Penn Interactive Ventures – a wholly owned subsidiary of the company – will manage the relationships, in addition to operating the company’s primary sports betting and igaming initiatives through a new deal with service provider Kambi.
Penn National Gaming, which operates more than 40 gaming facilities across 19 US states, will integrate the Kambi Sportsbook platform ahead of an on-property and online rollout in jurisdictions with active sports betting legislation.
Legal sports betting is currently active or pending in at least eight states where Penn National operates a gaming property, including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Nevada.
In addition, bills that seek to regulate sports betting are on file across numerous states where Penn National has a land-based presence, potentially giving Penn National unrivalled access to regulated sports betting markets across the country.
The first launches are due to take place in Q3 2019, initially focusing on Penn National’s brick and mortar casinos in Iowa and Indiana, with online to follow in 2020.
Kristian Nylén, Kambi’s CEO, said: “Kambi’s strategy has always been to partner with tier one operators, particularly those that share our vision and passion for sports and sports wagering. In Penn National, we have found an ideal partner – one that is not only passionate about providing high quality sports wagering experiences to its customers, but a company that adheres to the highest level of ethical business standards.
“It’s an honour for Kambi to be working with an organisation of the size and stature of Penn National, and we look forward to helping them become a national leader in the US sports betting market in the coming years.”
Jon Kaplowitz, Penn National’s SVP of interactive, said: “Sports betting represents an exciting growth opportunity for Penn National. By controlling our front-end product and leveraging our vast casino footprint, our company is well-positioned to execute on a sports betting strategy that maximises value to shareholders. Utilising Kambi’s best-in-class managed-trading services and omni-channel software allows us to effectively capitalize on this strategy.” The agreement with Penn National represents Kambi’s fourth customer signing in 2019, following partnerships with mybet, Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment and BetWarrior. Kambi recently delivered another US market first when it last month processed New York State’s first legal sports wager at Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady.
