The Oneida Indian Nation has tapped Scientific Games to provide its gaming technology solutions for three casinos in upstate New York, in anticipation of sports betting being legalized in the state.
In its press release, Scientific Games said it has agreed to support the Oneidas in the launch of its sportsbooks for the Turning Stone Resort Casino, Yellow Brick Road Casino, and Point Place Casino.
According to Scientific Games, the Oneidas will make use of the company’s SG Digital sports betting technology platform OpenBet, which provides access to in-house pre-game data and feeds, made possible by the company’s recent acquisition of Don Best.
Oneida representative and Nation Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter said, “After rigorous assessment of the supplier market, we determined that partnering with Scientific Games and SG Digital will give our players the best sports betting experience starting on day one.”
He added that the SG Digital division “was the only partner who demonstrated years of U.S. sports experience with regard to odds, trading, and in-play data feeds.”
SG Digital Group Chief Executive Jordan Levin said that he hoped the partnership will be able to replicate the success of other states that have been quick to legalize sports betting after the Supreme Court’s repeal of a federal ban on the industry. “As the race to capture market share ensues, we have taken great care in our approach to put our customers and their players at the core of our development and overall experience design,” he said.
The press release cited analyses that look at New York as one of the states with the largest potential in terms of revenue, assuming its legislature manages to pass its own sports betting bill.
A bill for this had previously failed to pass before the end of session last year. This year, State Senate Bill 17 has been filed by State Senator Joseph Addabbo, wherein licensed operators must pay an 8.5% tax on gross sports wagering revenue. They are also required to submit a report to the New York Gaming Commission (NYGC) every five years demonstrating their compliance with regulations.
Among prohibited sports events for placing wagers are those involving high school teams or players.
Perhaps more contentious is a provision requiring casinos to pay a “royalty fee” on 0.2% of bets placed, to be later disbursed to sports governing bodies, which will then have to provide the NYGC “with evidence of policies, procedures and training programs it has implemented to protect the integrity of its sports events.” So far, none of the states that have passed their own sports betting legislation has required such an ‘integrity fee.’
The bill also allows for mobile sports betting, where bettors must sign up before placing bets through a licensed mobile sports betting operator.
