It was known in late September that Full House Resorts, an Indiana casino operator, was close to announcing its third sports betting skin deal. On Oct. 18, it became official.
Full House, owner-operator of the Rising Star Casino Resort in Rising Sun, Ind., announced an online sports betting deal with WSI US, LLC, wholly owned by Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts.
Full House previously formed deals with Churchill Downs Interactive Gaming, and the exchange wagering platform Smarkets for sports gambling in the Hoosier State.
The Full House-Wynn Resorts deal also contemplates the potential Colorado market. Full House owns/operates the Bronco Billy’s Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek, Col.
Legal sports wagering in Colorado is contingent upon a statewide referendum scheduled for Nov. 5.
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“We are excited to partner with Wynn Resorts, allowing them to conduct mobile sports wagering throughout Indiana and Colorado,” said Daniel Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer of Full House Resorts. Lee said Wynn Resorts has an “unique vision to the online space” and said the company is the “premier operator in the gaming industry.”
The deal with Wynn Resorts comes as the Nevada Gaming Control Board moves to ban founder and former CEO Steve Wynn from the casino industry.
Terms of the deal with Wynn Resorts were not disclosed. In October 2018, Wynn Resorts announced a partnership with the tech firm BetBull to pursue online sports betting opportunities in states that regulate the activity. Wynn Resorts owns nearly a quarter of BetBull, according to a presser.
An SEC filing in September said that Full House had already received $2 mm in cash from its sports betting deals. The company also gets a cut of the sports gaming revenue.
The only one of Full House’s sports wagering partners that has received a (temporary) vendor license in Indiana is Churchill Downs.
Rising Star hasn’t opened a retail sportsbook yet, but it will be branded as a BetAmerica book, which Churchill Downs is behind. The casino’s website says it’s “coming soon.”
It appears Wynn and Smarkets will be online-only partners for Full House Resorts.
The Indiana Gaming Commission recently released figures showing that the state’s retail sportsbooks, the first of which opened Sept. 1, took $35.2 mm in bets last month. Online/mobile wagering kicked off Oct. 3 with the launch of BetRivers, a product from Rush Street Interactive, and DraftKings. FanDuel is expected to launch its platform Tuesday.