- Hard Rock International launches a sportsbook in Sioux City.
- GiG will be powering the Sioux City sports betting facility
- Online and mobile sports betting expected in Q4.
Hard Rock International, one of the most popular gaming and hospitality brands in the United States, has recently expanded its sports betting operations. The Florida-bases company has debuted its over-the-county or retail sports betting offering at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City in Iowa. Already, sports wagering is a major component of the operator’s business as seen in other states such as New Jersey where its sportsbooks are already live.
The extension of its sports betting services to Iowa is part of a wider nationwide expansion bid and there is no better time for that than now. More and more states are legalizing and regulating sports betting making it a very lucrative market for both local and international gambling operators.
Hard Rock International’s new Sioux City sportsbook is powered by Gaming Innovation Group (GiG). GiG is a renowned European gaming and sports betting technology provider. GiG teamed up with the Hard Rock for the first time in 2018 in order to launch a physical and digital sportsbook at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
“The agreement is both a testament to our know-how and prowess to lead a land-based casino into the digital world of betting and a strong validation of GiG’s commercial and product delivery capabilities. We are looking forward to growing with our partner long term. We have mutual ambitions to entertain consumers with a safe and exciting first-class sports betting experience,” said Richard Brown, acting chief executive of Gaming Innovation Group.
Fortunately, the partnership between the two companies was flexible enough and could, therefore, be extended across many other states where sports betting has been legalized. There is a growing number of states that have either already legalized or are considering the legalization of sports betting. It will not be much of a surprise if it turns out that Hard Rock and GiG have set their sights on those states as well.
Mobile Betting on the Way
Iowa’s gambling laws allow retail sportsbooks within its borders to run at all of its 19 casinos. The state’s gambling industry is overseen by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission which was responsible for the Sioux City license. In addition to offering over-the-counter sports bets, the casinos are also allowed to offer online and mobile sports betting.
Sioux City features a 400 square feet sports betting space with four betting windows which is quite reasonable for a start. To complement this, Hard Rock International and GiG have revealed that they have plans to launch online and mobile betting options for their customers before the end of the year.
Iowa is now the 12th state to legalize sports betting since the United States Supreme Court abolished the federal ban on sports betting in May 2018. The state’s gaming industry is pretty robust which means that Hard Rock and GiG should not have much trouble replicating the success they had in New Jersey.