IGT Global Solutions Corporation and William Hill US have entered into a multi-year agreement to offer US lotteries a full service solution for sports betting. Together, the companies said they will be able to offer US lotteries a fully-managed solution to meet all their current and future needs in sports betting, both maximizing revenues to each state and ensuring a reliable, attractive, and innovative service for players.
Both firms are already partnered through an agreement that resulted in IGT being awarded the contract to run sports betting for the Rhode Island Lottery together with William Hill. Under the terms of the partnership, the companies will jointly consider all future sports betting opportunities and bid requests from US lotteries on a mutually exclusive basis. Commercial terms between the partners were not disclosed.
The combined offer to US lotteries under the new agreement will comprise IGT´s PlayShot end-to-end sports betting platform for land-based, retail, online, and mobile with William Hill´s operational, trading, player management, and strategic expertise in US sports books. The PlayShot sports betting platform is already live in four US states as a dedicated B2B solution for sportsbook operators. William Hill operates sports books under its own or partner brands or provides risk management services in all five states where sports betting is active today.
Renato Ascoli, IGT CEO North America, stated: “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. Through this unique partnership, our customers will be able to enter this new activity with total confidence and trust in the service being offered.
He added: “IGT is uniquely positioned as a leader in both lottery and sports betting technologies to deliver innovative solutions that will expand the possibilities for players and for lotteries themselves in this exciting new market. 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.”
Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US, commented: “We are delighted to be expanding our relationship with IGT to address the US lottery market together. William Hill´s track record as an operator globally, and our clear leadership as a sports book operator in the US, in particular, mean that US lotteries can be confident that in choosing IGT and us together, they will be benefiting from a reliable, trustworthy, and responsibly-managed solution – maximizing revenues to each state with a quality product and service.”
SBC Americas analysis
This latest deal between IGT and William Hill US helps to underscore the pivotal role that lotteries stand to play in the expansion of legalised sports betting in the US. The lottery industry already enjoys long-established, firm relationships with myriad retail locations across the country. These comprise venues such as clubs, bars and pubs, all of which offer a natural environment for sports wagering. Further to that, a number of state lotteries already have the capacity for online ticket sales and scratch cards, as well as the technical expertise to help states move their sports betting offer into the online space.
