After making its Michigan debut in January via its distribution partner SG Digital, Aussie specialist slots provider Lightning Box has taken its games live with Churchill Downs Incorporated’s (Nasdaq:CHDN) TwinSpires online sportsbook and casino platform in the Great Lakes State.

In its first wave of releases, the Sydney-headquartered studio has now rolled out three of its most popular titles, including Lightning Leopard, Chicken Fox, and Lightning Horseman on TwinSpires casino, after launching in Michigan with BetMGM, Golden Nugget, and Rush St within days of iGaming’s debut in the state on January 22, 2021.

In November 2020, Lightning Box went live in Pennsylvania and has since 2014 featured with online casinos in New Jersey via Amaya, having earned a reputation for developing content for U.S. land-based operators. Amaya Inc. rebranded as The Stars Group, which was sold to British gaming conglomerate Flutter Entertainment on May 5, 2020.

American appeal:

Pleased that his company’s games would feature with one of the newly-regulated state‘s most innovative digital brands, Lightning Box Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Peter Causley said…

“Churchill Downs needs no introduction to sports fans, as it’s the home of the famous Kentucky Derby, and now it is great to see that its’ TwinSpires sportsbook and casino brand is also making big impressions.”

He added that Lightning Box has a “long heritage” in the U.S. and its games are “loved by lots of Americans,” while they are “very much looking forward to charing them with even more people in Michigan.”

Brand transition:

Kentucky-based Churchill Downs announced it was dropping the BetAmerica name and would relaunch its iGaming platform and sportsbook under its TwinSpires brand, which has since 2007 been the Kentucky-based company’s online pari-mutuel wagering business. At the same time, noting that following the Michigan launch, other BetAmerica retail and online sportsbooks would make the transition to TwinSpires in the first half of 2021.

Aso commenting on the games launch, Vice President iGaming for Churchill Downs Inc., Richard Sagman said in the recent press release…

“Lightning Box produces good quality games that our customers will enjoy and we’re excited about the opportunities that this new cooperation presents.” He went on to say that TwinSpires is “backed by the Churchill Downs team that has more than 140 years of racing wagering history in the United States and is now leading the way with its new online sportsbook and casino product.”

Growing U.S. audience:

Twinspires retail, mobile and online sportsbooks are live in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mississippi, Indiana, and Colorado, and on March 18 launched its sports betting app and desktop product in Tennesse, which was made possible in January when the state’s Lottery’s Sports Wagering Committee conditionally approved an online sports betting license for the southern U.S. state’s online-only sports betting program.

Meanwhile, Lightning Box recently launched its latest title, Phoenix Coins, exclusively with Swedish mobile gaming company LeoVegas. The Ancient Greece-themed video slot went live with the operator on March 11, prior to a general release.