Figures for the fourth quarter were bundled in with the full year and showed over the counter amounts wagered rising by11% and machine gross win also up 7%.
Hills also announced a tie up with Inspired Gaming Group for exclusive rights to provide its licensed betting offices (LBOs) with gaming machines. Inspired already supplies Hills with 79% of its total machines and under the agreement they’ll fill the short fall with a deal lasting until 2016. The bookmaker retains the right to switch back to a agreement where they can have two company’s machines at any time.
Fellow traditional bookie Ladbrokes has made its first plunge into the US market by acquiring a 65% stake in Stadium Technology Group. The Vegas-based supplier surrendered the stake in exchange for $3m with the remaining 35% available to buy over the next five years on a performance related basis. Stadium supplies software and in game betting apps to sportsbooks in Nevada and Delaware with a number of reputable casinos on its order list.
Ladbrokes Chief Executive Richard Glynn commented: “The size of the US market and potential for positive regulatory change in the coming years make it a sensible place to establish a presence. Stadium Technology is already one of the key software suppliers to casinos in Nevada and Delaware and it has the potential to expand.”
It could be a very long-term decision indeed. Sports betting, thanks to opposition in the first instance from sports leagues, won’t see legalization in our lifetime and the roll out of intrastate gaming will take a bit of time yet as well. Gaining a foothold in the market is a good move for any gaming industry firm.