Resorts World Catskills CEO on retail betting and bet365 partnership

Resorts World Catskills (RWC) has soft-launched its Betgenius and IGT-powered retail sportsbook at its New York State venue.

The firm now operates the closest retail sportsbook to New York City, although CEO Ryan Eller has no delusions that the resort will draw mobile bettors away from the New Jersey border.

“It’s a completely different experience and it’s one that really lends itself to our position as a premier casino destination,” he says in an exclusive interview with EGR.

Eller also discusses the firm’s $50m mobile betting deal with UK giant bet365, including the Stoke-headquartered firm’s involvement in choosing a retail betting partnership.

RWC CEO Ryan Eller

EGR North America (EGR NA): What was the selection process like in choosing the sportsbook suppliers to work with?

Ryan Eller (RE): We went through an extensive process of trying to identify the appropriate partner for a retail sportsbook. We have a unique opportunity here in that we are one of four New York casinos that are able to offer retail sports betting now. We’re the closest one to New York City and we wanted to ensure we had a best in class partnership and technology provider that would allow us to compete and win in this nascent sports betting industry, which is only now being introduced into the New York market. We have a long and beneficial relationship with IGT and I think Betgenius clearly are a very competent technology provider as well. In combination they offered what we think is going to be the best in class for a retail sportsbook.

EGR NA: When did the product go live?

RE: We went live with a soft-launch last week and that is allowing us, given the fact this is new to this market but also our employees, an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with taking bets in a very measured environment. We’re really launching the sportsbook and having an opening on September 5, which is intended to coincide with the NFL season opening. It will be a big event with a ribbon cutting, we’ll have some sports legends there and a lot of big promotions. That’s really the time for the US market when there is going to be lots of attention.

EGR NA: With RWC in such an interesting position geographically as the closest sportsbook to NYC, do you anticipate it will draw users from the City that are currently going across to New Jersey to bet online?

RE: I’ll say we have no delusions that sports betting isn’t already widely practiced in a number of different forms. What I think is unique here is the fact that we offer it in conjunction with a destination resort casino which offers a variety of different experiences. The sportsbook I think makes the resort destination that much more attractive. I do think it will help and facilitate visitation from New York City and the New York Metro area.

I think that it’ll be part of an overall destination visit where they are coming to an environment where they can place bets in real-time, in real life. It’s an experience that is not going to be easily replaced by shooting across New Jersey state lines and betting on your phone. It’s a completely different experience and it’s one that really lends itself to our position as a premier casino destination. The sportsbook is probably one of the best anchors for that kind of diversity in a resort destination.

EGR NA: What was involved in the development of the retail product?

RE: It’s interesting because the retail sportsbooks haven’t really grown out of their footprints in Nevada in the US. It’s a vastly different model in other jurisdictions so there really was a difficulty in establishing what is best in class for a retail sportsbook that is also consistent with our casino experience here. Not only did we consult internally but we went through a process of assessing what sportsbooks in Nevada offered. We were also launching after New Jersey so we had a view into how the state was offering their sportsbooks.

What we wanted to do was have a balance [of those others portsbooks] and best in class offering from all of those and then design something that was unique, appropriately sized and positioned for our customer base and understanding it’s not an environment where people are going to sit and diligently bet on para-mutuel racing, that’s a completely different environment. This is a pure play sportsbook and therefore with its integration into our casino environment it was essential to have more of the traditional kiosks and seating that might be more akin to the historic sportsbooks that we’re all familiar with. Ours is much more of a lounge and an entertainment bar.

EGR NA: Mobile betting in New York is still very much up in the air, what are your expectations for what might happen in the next year?

RE: The market opportunity in New York I think is undeniably attractive to not only the casino operators and the service providers but also to the state, which has an opportunity to make a considerable amount from tax revenue as a result of mobile sports wagering. As it begins to proliferate in a variety of jurisdictions, I’m pretty confident the state will start to look at how it can properly regulate and legalize mobile sports wagering.

There are a variety of paths forward. They are contemplating whether it might require a constitutional amendment but nonetheless it seems there is a recognition that mobile sports wagering is something that would be welcomed by a significant portion of those that live in the state as well as a welcome revenue source if properly managed in tax. In the coming years there will be an exceptional commercial opportunity for online and mobile sports wagering.

EGR NA: Is RWC looking to get involved in mobile betting if and when it is legalized in New York?

RE: We are and before this agreement for retail sports betting with IGT and Betgenius, our company entered into a partnership agreement with bet365. So, if and when the opportunity to pursue mobile does exist, we will be doing so with bet365 which, similar to the process of selecting IGT, is our premier partner for opportunities to pursue mobile sports wagering in New York. They’ve been a great source of knowledge as we even embarked upon our efforts to build and select a partner for the retail sportsbook.

EGR NA: The initial announcement of your partnership with bet365 suggested the operator might also be tasked with developing your retail betting offering, but that’s not been the case?

RE: Bet365 is a best-in-class operator in the mobile and online space and it doesn’t really operate in the retail space, that’s one thing that is outside its core business. One thing I will say is bet365 has been a great partner as we’ve looked to the online space and great consultants as we were trying to identify which partner to use as we were implementing retail sports betting here.

Bet365 has no formal engagement [in the retail offering], but at the point in time when mobile is actually authorized in the state of New York it can exercise its right to take over the retail sportsbook and might provide the technology at that point in time. But until that time we have a partnership on paper and consultative relationship with the operator.