Churchill Downs agrees new multi-year deal with Kambi and GAN for BetAmerica sports betting brand

After recently entering Michigan’s sports betting and iGaming market, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) (NASDAQ:CHDN) has inked multi-year agreements with Game Account Network (GAN) and Kambi Group plc for its BetAmerica sports betting brand.

Under the terms of the new partnership agreements, the two firms will serve as new technology providers to BetAmerica which currently manages sportsbooks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mississippi, and Indiana.

“BetAmerica will benefit from the proven excellence of these market-leading providers.”

Malta-headquartered Kambi Group said the deal will “position BetAmerica to capitalise on its market access to offer Kambi’s industry leading online and on-property sports wagering experiences to new and existing players.”

The CDI subsidiary will leverage Kambi’s sports betting offering with its integrated online gaming platform to be powered by GAN’s US-optimized enterprise software.

Expanding US market:

Kambi added that BetAmerica will benet from its “proven excellence in sportsbook provision,” with its “secure and empowering technology providing the reliability and differentiation capabilities required to succeed in today’s competitive U.S. sports wagering landscape.”

In a company press release, Chief Executive Officer for Kambi, Kristian Nylén, said…

“It’s a pleasure for Kambi to be partnering with CDI and its BetAmerica brand, which has the potential to benefit from its market access and existing customer database. I’m certain with the quality and experience we possess, together with the BetAmerica leadership team, we will be able to grow our businesses together as the U.S. sports betting and iGaming market expands.”

Kambi added that the agreement “is expected to have a small positive impact” on its 2020 revenue but that the “partnership has the potential to become a material source of revenue over the course of the contract.”

For its part, CDI Chief Executive Officer Bill Carstanjen said…

“We believe the transition to Kambi and GAN as our new technology providers will enable our team to execute the rollout of BetAmerica sportsbooks and iGaming product offering more efficiently as states move to legalize and implement regulations permitting sports betting and iGaming in the coming years. BetAmerica will benefit from the proven excellence of these market-leading providers.”

Tier-one operator:

GAN, meanwhile, said that due to CDI’s “expansive range” of US-based retail gambling assets and its “existing market agreements for Internet gambling,” it classifies the Churchill Downs parent company as a “tier one” operator client.

The London-headquartered supplier went on to say that it will publish third-party sports betting content obtained from Kambi which is currently integrated into its platform and available to clients.

In its company presser, GAN Chief Executive Officer Dermot S. Smurfit said…

“We look forward to powering the BetAmerica brand with our highly optimized technology platform and enabling CDI to efficiently invest their marketing capital to attract loyal sports betting and iGaming players.”

Michigan launch:

Earlier this month, CDI announced that its newly-signed partnership with Hannahville Indian Community will see its BetAmerica sports betting and iGaming platform launched in Michigan, where sportsbetting and online casino gambling were legalized in December 2019.

According to CDI, plans include the opening of a retail BetAmerica sportsbook at the federally recognized Potawatomi tribe’s Island Resort & Casino located in the Upper Peninsula in Harris, while the platform will be made available throughout the Great Lake State, subject to gaming license and regulatory approvals.

BetAmerica acquisition:

CDI, which also owns advanced deposit wagering site (ADW), TwinSpires, acquired BAM Software and Services, LLC (BetAmerica) on April 24, 2017, after, in December 2016, it [BetAmerica] lost permission of  the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) to offer wagering in California to residents of “The Golden State.”

The acquisition was in anticipation of the May 2018 PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) reversal, which saw the US Supreme Court determine that the 1992 federal law violated constitutional principles by forcing states to ban sports betting under their own laws. CDI has since entered multiple states with BetAmerica.