Pair Of WV Casinos Finally Pick Their Sports Betting Partner
Gaming company Delaware North will partner with software provider Miomni to provide sports betting to the company’s many properties.
Delaware North is the owner of West Virginia‘s Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island Casino.
Under the terms of the arrangement, Miomni will be the exclusive provider of Delaware North’s sports betting platform and technology. The partnership will cover both mobile and retail operations.
“In working with Miomni, a recognized expert firm on the technology side, Delaware North is uniquely positioned to become a leader in the emerging sports wagering sector in the United States,” said Delaware North gaming president Brian Hansberry, in a press release.
Delaware North also owns gaming locations in Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois, New York and Ohio. As these states legalize sports betting, Miomni will backstop Delaware North’s progress towards coming online.
The two companies also plan to provide turnkey solutions to other gaming companies. With so many companies already maintaining partnerships, it is unknown how many will take the duo up on its solutions.
Partnership may be cause of delay in sports betting debut
Both Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island expected to open their sportsbooks at the end of September.
However, as we reported earlier, Delaware North management pushed back the timeframe on those debuts. Company officials gave no new date for the grand openings.
So, it’s possible that Delaware North and Miomni got hung up at the last second. These kinds of deals don’t just happen overnight, and the details of them can cause numerous delays.
The finalization of the partnership should mean that the overall product improves. Miomni can now implement its set of solutions in a brand-new territory. This deal would represent the first time that the British software firm has worked in the US outside Nevada.
West Virginia casinos have the luxury of doing it right
Delaying the debut of sports betting would seem to be a damaging move for a casino company to take. However, the West Virginia sports betting situation is quite different from the one in New Jersey or Mississippi.
Quite simply, there are fewer casinos and less competition to worry about. Previous conversations with other West Virginia casino managers reveal that none of the Mountain State’s casinos pay each other much attention due to their geographical separation.
So, while there are two casinos in-state that are currently offering wagering on sports, Delaware North doesn’t feel like it has to hurry. In a state where gambling is a more local endeavor, it’s more important for casinos to do it right than quickly.
“It all adds up to a high-energy, high-participation atmosphere,” said Kim Florence, regional president and general manager for both Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras. “We think this will become a great draw to bring folks from across the state and outside of West Virginia to experience these resorts.”
