Betfred moves into US with Iowa’s Grand Falls
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Bookmaker Betfred is to expand into the US after agreeing a deal to provide sports betting technology and operations to Elite Casino Resort-owned Grand Falls Casino Resort in Iowa.
Subject to regulatory approval in the state, Betfred will offer punters at the Grand Falls access to in-person, online and mobile wagering services.
The agreement also covers the provision of a full suite of managed products such as business intelligence and analytics, anti-fraud, trading, compliance, customer support, payments and marketing, and managed trading operations support.
The deal has been made possible after the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved the bookmaker’s Betfred Sports Iowa arm as an out-of-state vendor for the casino.
Betfred has linked up with SCCG Management in Las Vegas, Nevada, to represent the bookmaker in both the US Native American and non-tribal gaming markets.
“I’m delighted to partner with Elite Casino Resorts in Iowa and we look forward to working with our new partners and sharing our joint expertise in what is a very exciting opportunity and market,” Betfred’s chief executive and co-founder, Fred Done, said.
Dan Kehl, chief executive of Elite Casino Resorts, added: “We are excited to offer our guests another world-class product. With Betfred, Grand Falls Casino and Resort will be the best place in Iowa for sports betting at our casino and on a safe and secure platform.”
Earlier this week, William Hill US also announced that it will provide both land-based and mobile sports betting services to Eldorado Resorts’ Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf and Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo in Iowa.
In May, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill to legalise in-person, online and mobile sports betting in Iowa.
The US launch is the latest step in Betfred’s ongoing expansion strategy, with the bookmaker having this month also secured a new licence to offer both its online sportsbook and casino in Spain.
Meanwhile, Betfred has become the first major UK bookmaker to sign up to use a new Betgenius-powered scheme for official UK football data.
The five-year deal, which runs from 2019-20 to 2023-24, aims to establish Betgenius as the primary in-play trading partner for the sports of football, tennis and basketball across retail and online.
This will include live pricing on more than 4,200 English and Scottish football fixtures per season, driven by official data from an exclusive agreement between Betgenius and Football DataCo.
Craig Reid, group trading director at Betfred, said: “Providing our customers with a trusted, reliable and engaging service has been instrumental in helping Betfred grow its in-play sportsbook offering in the UK and Betgenius have helped us deliver that.”
Image: Tony Webster