Roar CEO bullish on Pennsylvania igaming entry
Adam Greenblatt insists the operator will also challenge PokerStars’ poker monopoly in the Keystone State
Roar Digital is planning to lead the Pennsylvania igaming market with its BetMGM brand despite entering the state more than a year since the vertical first launched, CEO Adam Greenblatt has said.
The firm has plans to launch online casino and poker in the state in coming months and will “assert itself forcefully” once its app is live, Greenblatt told EGR North America.
“We are very confident in the quality of our gaming product and poker, and at the moment PokerStars is a free hit,” he added.
Many of Roar’s Borgata poker and casino players that travel to the New Jersey casino are based in Pennsylvania and have access to the operator’s Mlife loyalty program, which will be a focal point of the operator’s increased investment of $250m.
According to the state regulator, the PGCB, Roar faced setbacks in launching in the state after it employed a former PCGB employee and was faced with a fine.
Greenblatt told EGR NA Roar had not been among the first wave of operators to receive temporary licenses to operate in Pennsylvania.
“They stopped issuing those temporary licenses and returned to their normal, more extended process and then Covid-19 hit,” he said.
“It’s taken some time to work through that process, it’s not for lack of appetite or credibility.
“With Yahoo, we think the combination of reach, brand and strength of product will allow us to cut through, notwithstanding others have a bit of a head start.
“BetMGM is our lead brand,” Greenblatt concluded.
As Roar parent company GVC’s long-standing CEO Kenny Alexander steps down, new CEO Shay Segev has pledged to make the US his primary focus.
In June, Rush Street Interactive’s Rivers Casino app reaped the highest igaming revenue of $15m in Pennsylvania, while the statewide total came in at $50m, down almost $6m from the previous month.