A new multiyear partnership deal has been signed between International Game Technology (IGT) and William Hill US. The joint venture will offer a full-service solution for sports betting to US lotteries nationwide. According to the latest press release put out by the two companies, they intend offering US lotteries a “fully managed solution to meet all their current and future needs in sports betting, both maximizing revenues to each state and ensuring a reliable, attractive and innovative service for players.”
The partnership will be built on an existing relationship between the two entities, both of which have a strong presence in the US gambling market. The pair already run the Rhode Island Lottery together. The terms of that deal dictate that both IGT and William Hill will, together, consider all future sports betting opportunities. They will also bid requests from US lotteries nationwide on a mutually exclusive basis.
Any future bids will be made up of IGT’s end-to-end sports betting platform, PlayShot, which was created for land-based, retail, online and mobile gambling terminals and devices. This platform will be combined with William Hill’s experience and expertise in operations, trading, player management and strategy, especially in the US sportsbook market. PlayShot is already live in four US states.
The CEO of William Hill US, Joe Asher said that his company was delighted to be expanding its relationship with IGT to address the US lottery market together. He said that William Hill’s track record as a global operator, together with its clear leadership as a sports book operator in the US, means that US lotteries can be confident that in choosing the company and IGT, they will be benefiting from “a reliable, trustworthy, and responsibly-managed solution-maximizing revenues to each state with a quality product and service.”
Also commenting was the chief executive officer of IGT, North America, Renato Ascoli, who said that William Hill had proven leadership and capability in US sports betting operations, and this would ensure that IGT was able to fully support its lottery customers as states start to regulate these products.
“Through this unique partnership, our customers will be able to enter this new activity with total confidence and trust in the service being offered,” he said. “IGT is uniquely positioned as a leader in both lottery and sports betting technologies to deliver innovative solutions that will expand the possibilities for players and for lotteries themselves in this exciting new market.”
