The world’s dominant slot-machine manufacturer, IGT, is ready to jump into the promising sports-wagering business in the United States. Now that the Supreme Court has struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, states will be able to establish their own sports-betting systems.
Tuesday’s first-quarter IGT earnings call left little doubt that the London-based company would be a player in providing technology for sports betting, competing head to head with Las Vegas-based rival Scientific Games.
“Our offering is in pretty good shape,” IGT CEO Marco Sala said in a call with investors early Tuesday.
He noted that IGT already has an end-to-end sports betting system in place in Italy and that its platform includes distribution and mobile solutions that have been tested and licensed in the United States. IGT developed the platform and system used by MGM Resorts International properties and that company has indicated it would explore the prospects for expansion in Michigan, Mississippi, Massachusetts and Maryland.
You can also find sports betting updates for the European market at Bundesliga News.
“The timing and size of sports betting in the United States is an open question,” Sala said, noting that IGT has submitted the only bid to provide sports betting in Rhode Island through the state-operated lottery. Most of IGT’s sports-betting strategies will emanate from Las Vegas where the company’s top executive, Renato Ascoli, on Tuesday was named CEO for IGT’s North American operations.
More at Review-Journal
