Sportsbook Cantor’s into California; NYRA track gets mobile betting; GSN tries its hand at smart phone app

USA flag 1Vegas sportsbook Cantor Gaming has come to an agreement with California’s horse tracks to provide online poker technology, if and when it becomes legalized in the state. Horse Racing United (HRU), the group with which Cantor signed the deal, is a non-profit organization that looks after the majority of thoroughbred racing in the state. The deal is of course contingent on California actually legalizing online poker – something that is looking less and less likely as the months go on. It was removed from the house agenda in June and Californian residents are much more favorable when it comes to sports betting than poker.

On the Eastern seaboard, New York is welcoming mobile sports betting to one of its horse race tracks. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced that Ruckus Wireless will provide a WiFi network at Saratoga Race Course that will give punters a chance to place their bets using a smart phone. The 40,000 capacity course will also install a wireless ticketing system and Tom Thill, chief information officer for NYRA, commented: “In very recent years we’ve seen the number of smartphones and mobile devices in use increase dramatically, and we knew we needed to deliver a wireless experience of the same caliber that we’ve always been committed to at the track.”

GSN Digital has delved deeper into the social casino market by releasing a Wheel of Fortune slots app aimed specifically at smart phones and tablets. The interactive division of Game Show Network will release the app specifically for Apple and Android devices. It comes after the same slot became the most played game on GSN.com and their Facebook games app. Players use virtual tokens to play the popular game and Peter Blacklow, GSN Digital’s executive vice president, commented: “Through our partnership with Sony, we hope to drive a whole new wave of GSN players, as well as extend our mobile offering to the millions of players we entertain every day on GSN.com and on Facebook.”