Weekend Report: Pennsylvania multi-state online poker, Penn board changes, Gaming Corps Ontario licence
Pennsylvania joins poker Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement
Pennsylvania has become the sixth US state to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) for poker.
Online poker players in Pennsylvania will be able to participate in the multi-state games. This will be available to consumers from certain operators starting today (28 April), with Pennsylvania expanding the pool of online poker players for those sites by more than 50%.
Pennsylvania joins New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, West Virginia and Michigan within the MSIGA. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will work with operators and the other state agencies to facilitate poker games.
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro signed off on the agreement last week. He said: “This is a common sense step to support hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, grow our economy and bring in more revenue to support our schools, our seniors, our small businesses and more.”
Allwyn North America rolls out games with DC Lottery
Meanwhile, not far south of Pennsylvania, Allwyn North America has launched its portfolio games in partnership with the DC Lottery.
Players in DC will now have access to games across the Allwyn collection. The first to go live will be Super Cash Bolt which, customised for the DC Lottery, is part of the Cash Bolt series.
Allwyn North America works with Instant Win Gaming to deliver its games via IWG’s InstantRGS.
“DC Lottery’s mission is to responsibly maximise lottery funding for our communities – and our players expect high-quality gaming experiences,” DC Lottery interim executive director Eugene Vlasenko said.
Gaming Corps lands Ontario licence
North of the border, Gaming Corps has secured a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
The new licence enables Swedish-based Gaming Corps to develop and distribute its gaming content in Ontario. Gaming Corps said that it already has agreements in place with several licensed operators in the Canadian province.
At launch, Gaming Corps will go live with a selection of its top-performing, sports-themed titles. It said these will be tailored to local demand and include titles such as Hoop Champion and Shootout Champion.
“This licence opens up significant opportunities for Gaming Corps and reinforces our commitment to working only within licensed and regulated jurisdictions,” Gaming Corps CEO Juha Kauppinen said. “With a growing appetite for original content, we’re excited about the potential Ontario holds – both in terms of player engagement and long-term growth.”
Penn Entertainment to refresh board
In other news, Penn Entertainment has announced several proposed changes to its board of directors.
Johnny Hartnett and Carlos Ruisanchez have both been nominated for election to the Penn board. This follows discussions with HG Vora Capital Management.
Meanwhile, Ron Naples has informed the board he is retiring effective immediately. Barbara Shattuck Kohn and Saul Reibstein have also notified Penn they will not stand for re-election at the upcoming annual meeting of shareholders.
As such, the board now comprises eight directors, seven of whom are independent.
“We look forward to benefitting from Johnny’s and Carlos’ fresh perspectives as we enter into a critical phase for the business,” the Penn board said.
LeoVegas opens second UK office
LeoVegas has opened its second office in the UK with a new facility in Leeds.
LeoVegas will occupy the entire ground and lower ground floors of Tailor’s Corner. The new office will support the group’s existing UK location in Newcastle.
The operator said this will support the ongoing development of brands such as BetMGM and LeoVegas in the UK market.
“It’s an important step towards our key goal to continue building the strength of our hero brands in the UK – BetMGM and LeoVegas – by attracting top talent,” said Gethin Evans, managing director UK and Ireland at LeoVegas.