Deal agreed
The FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek will soon offer sports betting after announcing a deal with Scientific Games Corporation.
Retail sports betting will launch at the FireKeepers Casino first, followed by online sports betting and iGaming services when legislation allows.
Retail sports betting will launch at the FireKeepers Casino first
This deal arrives just weeks after Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the Lawful Sports Betting Act into law, which make Michigan the fifth state to legalize online gambling and the 20th state to legalize sports betting.
Retail sportsbook on the way
With Scientific Games being announced as its new sports betting partner, the FireKeepers Casino can begin the process of setting up their retail sportsbook and preparing their online platform.
The onsite sportsbook will be the first service provided. The casino must wait for further regulations before online gambling can begin. A timeline as to when the iGaming industry will start in Michigan is still undecided.
The casino must create new policies and install equipment to begin. The timeline as to how long this will take is unclear.
According to Jim Wise, the vice president of marketing at the FireKeepers Casino, the facility is excited to partner with Scientific Games. Wise said Scientific Games has vast expertise in the sports betting and online gambling industry, which was key factor in the deal being made. He said:
We didn’t want someone who was good at one and bad at the other and have to mix partners.”
Enticing prospect for players
The new sportsbook should draw lots of traffic to the casino. Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi tribal chairperson, Jamie Stuck, stated that sports betting will bring traffic from within the state and from neighboring states.
According to Stuck, the casino already attracts players from Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Struck stated the brand’s presentation of sports betting in the online and land-based sector will be a reflection of what FireKeepers is about.
Along with traditional sports betting, Scientific Games will also offer other features. The provider will offer “Don Best Sports,” a data feed that provides information for players to place their bets.
Opportunity for sports betting
The opportunity for FireKeepers Casino to offer sports betting comes after Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a sports betting bill into law last year. As reported on VSO News, Michigan became the ninth state to legalize sports betting in 2019.
Governor Whitmer signed the Lawful Sports Betting Act in late December. The goal of the state is to have sportsbooks operational by the start of March Madness, a popular NCAA basketball tournament series.