During the last days of October, NetEnt, one of the leading casino software providers, signed an agreement to enter the newly regulated Pennsylvania online gambling market with Penn National Gaming.
Penn Interactive Ventures, as the encompassing establishment of Penn National Gaming, is only one of the many companies that applied for and obtained a legal online gambling license. This opportunity has been made available to interested parties since last year when the Pennsylvania online gambling market officially opened for business.
NetEnt’s First Time In Pennsylvania Territory
So far no operator has made the first step towards releasing online casino entertainment content for the Pennsylvania player market. Nevertheless, NetEnt’s persistence to cover a portion of the newly opened online gambling marketplace is a strong indicator of changes to come in the near future.
Just the act of signing the customer contract is of immense importance both for the Swedish software giant and the US legal iGaming industry, as the managing director NetEnt Americas, Erik Nyman, has stated:
“This deal marks NetEnt’s first customer signing for Pennsylvania and is an important step in our growth strategy in North America. I look forward to our collaboration with Penn National and believe that our entertaining online games will be much appreciated by players in Pennsylvania.”
To further clarify the upcoming situation, NetEnt has specifically signed a contract to equip the Hollywood online casino operator. Over a dozen licensees for the newly opened Pennsylvania online gambling market, aside from Hollywood Casino, have been given authorization during the past year, including Harrah’s, Sugarhouse, Sands Bethlehem, Valley Forge, and Mount Airy.
A Partnership Bound For Success
NetEnt’s entry is bound to provide a much-needed boost to Pennsylvania’s newly regulated iGaming market. This is due to its massive success at the first U.S. legal online marketplace – New Jersey. With that in mind, Nyman’s statement is rightfully optimistic regarding this novel partnership:
“We are excited to continue our strategic expansion in the US. We have enjoyed success in New Jersey and believe that this will continue in Pennsylvania. We will launch with a mix of our table games, video slots, jackpot games and unique features like free spins that have been greatly appreciated by our customers and their players. Our ambition is to be live in Pennsylvania as soon as the market opens.”
An equally enthusiastic approach to the matter is notable in the words of the other contracting party. Chris Sheffield, the Managing Director at Penn Interactive Ventures and Senior Vice President at Penn National Gaming, confirmed this in his official statement on the matter, concluding to the same point:
“We are pleased to offer NetEnt’s portfolio of online games to our HollywoodCasino.com customers and look forward to partnering with NetEnt to launch online gaming in Pennsylvania.”
