Westgate has revealed plans to open a new company for SuperBook in order to expand sports betting nationwide.
“It is something that we have been looking at for quite some time,” said Vice President of Sports Operations Jay Kornegay to KTNV. “We’ve really put it into fourth gear here as we looked at some of the opportunity out there.”
After the Supreme Court ruling, individual states and officials looked to branch out the SuperBook brand. Westgate similarly has considered expansion for a year, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The company is expected to operate much like other independent operators out there, such as William Hill.
David Schwartz, director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research, said that expanding the brand nationwide could be difficult. Brands recognized in one state aren’t necessarily notable in another.
For now, operators are taking it one step at a time, knowing that the market value could be huge.
Running the sports betting numbers
According to the American Gaming Association, the number of sports bets yearly come in at:
- About $150 billion
- About 3 percent is legal ($4.5 billion)
Kornegay told the Review-Journal:
“There will be a huge market swarming to these new, legal sports books, spreading across the country. I feel the expansion of sports gaming will follow the same path as the cellphone business. It’s infant stages in this country now, but we’ll see sports gaming options almost on every corner someday. It’ll be like the U.K., where they’re as common as barbershops.”
Rearranging the current lineup
The sportsbook isn’t the only revamp underway at Westgate. The company has a new entertainment lineup and management team. Geno Iafrate left his spot as the Westgate general manager to fill the new role at the separate company under Westgate. Cami Christensen will take the position of interim general manager.
Comparatively, in the space of entertainment, Dawn Rawles replaces Laura Ishum as the head of the hotel’s entertainment division. Ishum, who started at Westgate in December 2016, brought a couple acts to the Westgate, including:
- Barry Manilow
- “Soundtrack”
- Comic George Wallace
- Magician Jen Kramer
While these details are finalized, the stage show “Soundtrack,” featuring Clint Holmes and Earl Turner, will close with its final performance on Sept. 22.
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Other Nevada betting news
While Nevada’s SuperBook gains traction, other players in the sports betting arena are also picking up speed.
MGM Resorts International is increasingly active in national online gambling and sports betting partnerships.
Gov. Brian Sandoval is no stranger to gaming and has remained a supporter of sports betting nationwide in that it could strengthen the Nevada market. He doesn’t worry about the increased competition as other states add sports betting to their agendas.
MGM recently got involved with:
- Boyd Gaming
- GVC Holdings (Ladbrokes Coral and Bwin.Party)
- The NBA
As the nation preps to host sports betting, Station Casinos partnered with PayNearMe to replenish the STN sports betting mobile app from 350 Nevada locations, including more than 215 7-Eleven stores.
