MARCH 20, 2013
PokerStars parent company Rational Services Ltd. is among 14 names vying to become a Delaware Lottery online gambling technology provider. Delaware passed full-fledged (poker, slots, table games) online gambling legislation last June and has targeted Sept. 30, 2013 as the date for the system going live. The Lottery issued a request for proposals in February for tech companies interested in being the Lottery’s digital backbone, and 14 notable names submitted their homework before the March 15 deadline. The winners of this derby will learn their fate April 22.
Lottery assistant director Rebecca Goldsmith told Gambling Compliance that in addition to Rational, the list of tech hopefuls includes 888 Holdings (in conjunction with Scientific Games/WMS Gaming) and a tandem bid by Canada’s Amaya Gaming Group and Bally Technologies. Other suitors include International Game Technology (IGT), SHFL Entertainment, UK bookies Stan James and Isle of Man-based data center outfit Continent 8 Technologies. Scientific Games has a longstanding history with the Delaware Lottery, handling everything from instant tickets to VLTs at racinos to the state’s parlay sports wagering system, so it may have something of an inside track, here.
PokerStars’ bid is interesting, as unlike its pursuit of a New Jersey gaming license, Stars would be acting in a B2B capacity in Delaware. Since Delaware plans to act as its own operator, the only ‘bad actor’ type restrictions it included in its RFP were if a company had been deemed “ineligible to conduct business in the State of Delaware.” Potential protestations over Stars’ participation are far less likely given Caesars Entertainment’s apparent disinterest in the Delaware market.
No comments:
Post a Comment