Playtech Makes Its Debut In US Live Dealer Casino After A Long Wait
Evolution Gaming’s profitable monopoly on the US live dealer casino gaming got lost with the arrival of its first rival – Playtech. Playtech initiated the launch of their live dealer products in New Jersey and Michigan via online casino operators. The announcement was made on Christmas Eve by the technology provider.
The decision can be valuable to Playtech, which JKO Play and Aristocrat Leisure are already planning to acquire. There was a $2.9 billion bid made by Aristocrat, but Playtech reported that it will take time to react to the offer until Groundhog Day. Meanwhile, meetings are taking place between Playtech and JKO leaders.
Most likely, the suitors will get impressed with the entrance of Playtech in the profit-making live dealer casino market. Evolution Gaming said that there’s a high demand for live casinos with an over 53% increase in the October revenue report. Apart from Evolution’s US online gambling operations, it also includes global operations.
However, Playtech may not be the only rival to Evolution, and both the companies can soon face additional competition from SG or Scientific Games. In November, SG reported its acquisition of Authentic Games to arrive in the US live dealer market.
Moreover, Playtech leaders are planning to go beyond the switch to launch the US live dealer casino studios in Southfield, Michigan, and Atlantic City.
“Both provisions indicate the first-ever launch of Playtech’s entertainment-based US Live Casino along with the next step in Playtech’s planned and tactical expansion in the US.”
When the news got leaked about Aristocrat’s acquisition bid, Playtech’s stock went high from $12 to $18.33. Then, when the announcement of JKO to enter the acquisition talks in November went viral, Playtech’s shares hit $22. As of now, the stock is subject to change and keeps fluctuating around $19-$20.
Pre-Existing Popularity of Playtech’s Live Dealer Games
According to Parx Interactive powered – Michigan online casino operator, Playtech’s live roulette and blackjack games are two out of six most famous games on “Play Gun Lake.”
Also, Bet365 shortlisted live roulette as the No. 1 casino game in New Jersey as one of its latest online casino products. According to Playtech, the operator launched the live dealer products simultaneously with “Play Gun Lake.”
The Christmas Eve game launch includes blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and All Bets Blackjack, enabling an “unlimited number of online gamblers to participate in a game”.
Few More States To Go
Although the process is complicated, Playtech is planning to repeat it under the specifications of every US state. If Playtech works out to launch in other gambling-regulated states, they would include – Connecticut and West Virginia, where even Evolution is inactive.
From the operator’s point of view, live dealer options have become more of a product requirement than a matter of product differentiation. There are still some online casinos with no live dealer games, but they’re becoming rarer every day.
