Paddy Power Betfair subsidiary ready to go in US state… but land casino operators slow to respond so far
Paddy Power Betfair subsidiary Fanduel Group announced Friday that it has been awarded an interim service provider licence by the West Virginia Lottery Commission, allowing it to supply sports book action to state casino operators.
However, operators have been slow to come forward with just one – Hollywood Casino – receiving a licence thus far despite invitations to five operators from the regulator to apply for one of the $100,000 licences.
Greenbrier Resort has apparently not yet made application despite signing a sports betting service contract with FanDuel Group earlier this month (see previous InfoPowa report)
“We had hoped everyone would launch at the same time and everyone would be up at the beginning of football season,” Hollywood Casino parent Boyd Gaming said. “As we move forward, it appears that we’re going to have sort of a phased launch and it’s going to be a tiered approach. We’re just really excited to see that Charles Town will be ready to launch by Sept. 1.”
FanDuel began offering sports betting with partner Meadowlands Racetrack in northern New Jersey in mid-July. The sportsbook has not yet released a mobile app or web-based betting platform in New Jersey, while its rival DraftKings launched the first New Jersey mobile sportsbook this week.
Earlier this week Canadian geo-location specialist GeoComply announced that it has received approval as a service provider in West Virginia and is ready to ensure that any mobile sports betting that takes place is confined within state borders.