Bally's Corporation Partners with Elite Casino Resorts to Begin Sports Betting App in Iowa

• Bally’s latest announcement joins them with Elite Casinos to offer mobile betting in Iowa
• The strategic move will be the first where Bally’s has no onsite casino property presence
• A follow-up to Bally’s news acquiring Bet.Works and partnering with Sinclair Broadcasting

Bally’s Corporation is making major advances into the US mobile wagering landscape by making significant partnerships with well-established corporations.

In this latest announcement, the US land-based and online gambling operator has inked a multi-year market access agreement with Elite Casino Resorts to launch mobile sports betting in Iowa. This partnership will allow sports fans in Iowa access to mobile sports betting licensed by Elite’s Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort, located in Larchwood, Iowa.

The market access agreement comes after Bally’s announced an agreement to acquire the US sportsbook technology supplier Bet.Works for $125 million. The supplier provides products, platforms, content solutions, and software to operators in several states including Elite Casino Resorts in Iowa.

Given access to offer sports wagering into Iowa, the Bally’s name will mark the eleventh state where they have an identity and offer service to bettors. However, Iowa will be the first US state where they do not have a land-based casino but will offer only online wagering.

It is a bit unusual as Bally’s generally prefers to enter a jurisdiction through an owned casino property. As the sports wagering market is moving and changing rapidly, it was thought a strategy to ensure the best potential market agreement. Bally’s is currently working on acquiring land-based venues in several other states including Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, and Nevada.

In commenting about the new agreement George Papanier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bally’s Corporation said:

We are delighted to partner with Elite Casino Resorts in Iowa. We currently operate sportsbooks in Rhode Island, Colorado, Delaware, Mississippi, and soon will be in Atlantic City. Entering the Iowa gaming market with our new, integrated sports betting and iGaming company is very exciting and we look forward to the launch in 2021.

Bally’s On the Move

The partnership with Elite Casino Resorts to offer service in Iowa was only part of two other recent deals advancing Bally’s signature involving mobile wagering within the US.

Bally’s will take ownership of Bet.Works’ proprietary technology stack and turnkey solutions, that include marketing, customer service, risk management, operations, and compliance tools. The next step will be planning to split themselves into two divisions. One will be known as “Bally’s Casinos”, the other as “Bally’s Interactive”, which will include new contracts for sports and internet gambling. That division will also include all of Bet.Works sports betting operations.

In other news, Bally’s has made a noteworthy deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group. The two companies recently signed an agreement for Sinclair to rename its twenty-one sports networks Bally’s Sports. The primary goal will be for viewers to eventually be able to wager on games using a Bally’s online gaming tool directly from their television.

Bally’s has evolved quickly over the past two years into becoming a national player in the US gaming landscape. They now will have a total of 14 casino properties in 10 states with all pending transactions completed.