Agreement gives Bally’s its 14th state
Bally’s Corporation has further expanded its Midwest territory with entry into its 14th US state through a multi-year market arrangement with a Kansas casino.
The Providence, Rhode Island-based casino and gaming company announced its entry into Kansas through Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Dodge City on June 21. The arrangement continues Bally’s market access strategy preference of growing its digital rather than physical presence across American states.
deal hands Boot Hill Casino the keys to the Bally Bet mobile sportsbook
The deal hands Boot Hill Casino the keys to the Bally Bet mobile sportsbook, which the facility will implement as soon as Kansas approves regulated sports wagering.
The Dodge City casino property will manage Bally Bet on behalf of the Kansas Lottery Corporation, which owns and operates all gaming in the state.
Sports betting momentum building in Kansas
Before Kansans can start legally wagering on sports through Bally Bet, Senate Bill 84 (SB 84) still needs to pass muster. After the Kansas state House of Representatives rejected the bill in April, the odds of a legal retail and mobile sports betting market in Kansas by year-end remain long.
Clark Stewart, CEO of Boot Hill Casino & Resort, sounded bullish in the official Bally’s news release, saying it is “an exciting time in Kansas gaming history.” He added that Bally’s “diverse and interactive suite of online sports betting solutions […] will significantly enhance the gaming experience for Kansas sports fans.”
Strategic regional digital access
President and CEO of Bally’s George Papanier on Monday talked up the importance of his firm securing its 14th state, as a “significant opportunity […] to enter into yet another attractive mobile sports betting market.”
But Kansas has a small population and zero professional sports teams, so why does Bally’s see it as significant? For starters, Colorado is the only state neighboring Kansas where sports wagering is legal and live. Plus, it’s where Bally’s made its mobile sports betting market debut on May 24, with the beta launch of Bally Bet.
In addition, Kansas gives Bally’s the chance to flex its Sinclair Broadcast Group media partnership muscles. The company believes the tie-up with Sinclair’s portfolio of 19 regional sports networks, plus the ability to integrate content, will “attract sports fans in neighboring states to the Kansas mobile sportsbook.”