Playtech exclusive: West Virginia launch helps showcase ‘national ambition’
The supplier’s VP of US Business Operations Jonathan Doubilet shared his thoughts on the launch, as well as how Playtech is adapting its games for a new consumer base.
Key Points
- West Virginia represents the fourth regulated iGaming state Playtech has expanded to across the US, joining Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
- The supplier has partnered with operators such as RSI, Delaware North, DraftKings and BetMGM to offer its casino, RNG and live content to West Virginian players
Playtech has officially made its entry into the state of West Virginia, as VP of US Business Operations Jonathan Doubilet joined Gaming America for an exclusive interview to cover the supplier’s fourth launch in a regulated US iGaming market.
“Our expansion into this regulated iGaming state reflects our strong strategic focus on delivering engaging, innovative and responsible entertainment to players, while supporting our partners with the latest in gaming technology,” Doubilet said.
“Supporting our customers across all regulated states and countries in which they operate is at the heart of what we do. The trust and confidence they place in us as an agile and scalable partner is what helps in meeting the demands of the ever-expanding US iGaming industry.”
West Virginia represents the fourth state in which Playtech games are offered to eligible residents, joining New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. The supplier partnered with operators such as RSI, Delaware North, DraftKings and BetMGM to offer its casino, real number generator (RNG) and live content to West Virginian players.
“We realized that while iGaming is not exactly our Trojan horse, it’s a good foot in the door. New Jersey was our first line of business, we got licensed there and that’s often the litmus test for your licensing ability across the US, and we were never worried about it,” Doubilet said.
“The Pennsylvania launch put us on the map. It got us licensed in multiple jurisdictions and solid revenue streams, but we knew everything couldn’t just be dependent on that, and we put a heavy focus on our RNG components, optimizing and prioritizing game launches.
“It took us a few years to get all the wires hooked up to the different operators because, at that time, everybody was scrambling to get into Michigan and to get into newly regulated states with their sports betting. Consolidation was occurring, so getting into the top of the priority list for them when we just entered the market wasn’t easy.”
Playtech currently operates live dealer studios in each of the three states the supplier launched in prior to West Virginia, as well as approximately 25,000 betting kiosks distributed worldwide.
Doubilet stated that despite sports betting representing a “very lucrative” offering for operators and suppliers, most of the industry’s revenue is generated by in-house technology, as opposed to third-party companies such as Playtech. While the company’s sportsbook offering never “fell to the back burner,” it was “definitely deprioritized” in favor of what Doubilet described as Playtech’s “bread and butter,” iGaming.
Good to know: High Roller Technologies and Playtech announced a strategic partnership on June 2, aimed at bringing High Roller’s platform and brand to players in the Canadian province of Ontario
The executive commented on what the launch in West Virginia means for Playtech, believing it “sends a message out that we’re not going to be restricted to just larger states and higher GGR. West Virginia itself, it’s a message to our partners that we will expand with them.
“A lot of them have national ambitions. They want to make sure when they promote a game or a live dealer table of ours, they can do it in every state that is operational and not just however many they may be operating in at the time. I don’t want to downplay West Virginia’s size by any means, we operate in European jurisdictions of similar size, so it just made sense to operate in a state that has the same scalability of an entire country.”
Speaking on how US regulation compares to what Playtech operates under in Europe, Doubilet stated suppliers and operators would have no issue equating state-by-state momentum to individual country regulations seen internationally.
“America has difficulties and hurdles when it comes to getting in, getting licensed and launching a product in the states, but there are difficult jurisdictions for a number of reasons worldwide,” Doubilet said.
“We’re definitely up for the challenge. We’ve proven that we’re up for the challenge, and it’s not something we haven’t done before. It requires a different skill set and a different focus.”
Doubilet also spoke on how, even though iGaming operators and suppliers are competing for screen time with the likes of Netflix and Hulu, the companies still provide a level of crossover between the streaming and gaming world.
Using brands such as Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead as examples, Doubilet shared that suppliers can take notice of which television shows offer different variations of their original content in order to inspire similar spin-offs for companies such as Playtech.
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