In January of last year, iGaming operator Carousel Group was rapidly expanding in Europe and Latin America with its newly-acquired Malta Gaming License, but it always had bigger ambitions. It wanted to acquire licenses that would allow it to continue to wade deeper into the sports gambling pond in the U.K., Sweden and U.S., and has now achieved part of that goal. The company has been given approval by the Colorado Division of Gaming to hold a license in the state, which just launched its legal sports gambling market at the beginning of this month.
According to a company press release, Carousel’s approval means that it can now offer sports gambling through its sportsbetting.com domain, which will be offered on desktops, mobile platforms and through a dedicated app. The offerings are made possible after the company inked a deal with Johnny Nolon’s Casino in Cripple Creek. The partnership allows Carousel to capitalize on the domain name to offer a “unique and powerful product to the market, which is in contrast to the approach many gambling companies have taken over the last two years since sports betting became legal in the U.S.”
The launch comes despite a lack of any substantial sports activity that could be used to attract gamblers in the state. However, leagues such as the NBA and MLB are starting to slowly recover from the coronavirus and have announced that they could soon offer, on a limited basis, some games while they look toward a full restart. The NFL, mostly unfazed by the global pandemic, is confident it can start its regular season this September.
Carousel Group CEO Daniel Graetzer says of the new Colorado operations, “Despite the ongoing and tragic global crisis, we couldn’t be more confident and optimistic about the sports industry and we’re very excited to be bringing our flagship brand to the American market. While other entities have closed their doors and laid off employees, we’re hiring staff and expanding our operations into the United States.”
The domain is deployed on Carousel’s proprietary platform that, according to the company, provides a unique, more robust offering. In addition to its launch in Colorado, the company continues to look at other areas around the country where it can set up shop, and is expected to open permanent offices in Colorado and New Jersey sometime this year.
Johnny Nolan’s is looking forward to taking full advantage of the new partnership once sports make a return. The managing director of the casino, David Minter, asserts, “We are delighted to be partnering with such an emerging, dynamic and technologically driven company such as Carousel Group and are very excited about this partnership. Johnny Nolon’s Casino was the first casino to open for casino gambling in Cripple Creek on Oct 1, 1991 and we are looking forward to now finally be able to offer sports betting.”
