Sports betting technology provider Kambi Sports Solutions has expanded its deal with Mexico’s PlayCity brand.
In June 2015, Kambi inked a deal with Apuestas Internacionales S.A. de C.V., a division of Grupo Televisa, the parent company of the PlayCity casino brand. That deal called for Kambi to supply self-service betting terminals and OTC wagering in two PlayCity venues, with the potential of expanding that reach to PlayCity’s other venues, as well as into the online realm.
On Thursday, Kambi announced that the ‘proof of concept’ period had proven successful, meaning it will now expand its operations to 17 PlayCity casinos. Kambi has already gone live in five PlayCity venues, with the remaining 12 casinos to be hooked up by the end of March 2017. The deal also calls for Kambi to supply its products to PlayCity’s online and mobile channels.
News of the successful trial will help cushion the public blow Kambi recently received when Spanish operator Luckia dumped Kambi as its platform provider, opting to go with a sports platform supplied by rival SBTech.
Kambi CEO Kristian Nylén said the PlayCity deal had demonstrated Kambi’s ability to “translate its compelling online user experience into its retail offering for PlayCity’s casino customers with its unique over-the-counter and self-service betting terminal offering.”
Online gambling is tolerated but not officially legal in Mexico. Legislators in Mexico’s lower house approved an online bill in December 2014 but little action has been taken since that vote.
At the time, Mexico’s Senate President Luis Miguel Barbosa claimed that the proposed Federal Betting and Raffles law would be dealt with during the 2016 legislative session as there was no time for the senate to properly debate the issue. But the current legislative session concludes on December 15, and there appears to be little urgency in bringing gambling issues up for discussion, suggesting the status quo will prevail for a good while longer.
