Posted on: June 20, 2024, 10:51h.
Last updated on: June 20, 2024, 10:57h.
Gamblers on the casino floors of Bellagio and MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip will soon notice several cameras above certain baccarat and roulette tables.
MGM Resorts International and London-based Playtech announced on Wednesday the deployment of a proprietary casino stream that will operate live from the two Las Vegas casinos. The live casino content will be branded MGM Live and will be available for licensing exclusively outside of the United States in regulated online gaming markets.
Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts, said the product furthers the company’s “strategic vision to be the world’s premier gaming entertainment company.”
This alliance combines the strength of MGM Resorts’ global prestige with Playtech’s extensive international market knowledge and innovative games,” Mor Weizer, Playtech CEO, said in a statement to Casino.org. “As a leading technology provider in regulated markets, we are delighted that this partnership is pioneering a new live entertainment category and product offering for players in these regulated territories.”
MGM Live will commence with single and double-zero roulette and baccarat games. MGM and Playtech say the offering will expand in the coming months to include other entertainment like branded television shows and celebrity-hosted trivia.
Gaming Entertainment Production
MGM Live will stream endless hours of gambling action available for viewers to watch and bet on around the world 24/7. Audience members in the markets where the stream will reach will have the ability to gamble on the roulette and baccarat outcomes via the iGaming interface in their regulated market.
One such market Playtech operates is Italy where it owns and operates the leading iGaming and sportsbook firm Snaitech.
Live Remote Play Growth
In the US, online slots and table games are permitted in only seven states — Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. Internationally, however, iGaming is regulated in numerous countries, including most of the United Kingdom, many European countries, and soon, Brazil.
During MGM’s 2023 earnings call in February, Hornbuckle said the company was focused on acquiring, developing, or partnering with a live dealer distribution company similar to market leader Evolution Gaming. Evolution runs live dealer games for legal online casino platforms in the US from its studios in states where iGaming is allowed.
MGM is already partnered with Evolution for live dealer games in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In Atlantic City, for instance, Evolution runs online roulette games from the Borgata casino floor that allows remote players inside New Jersey to gamble on where the pill will finish on the spinning wheel.
Evolution has assisted New Jersey’s iGaming platforms in growing their business and customer databases. The company is planning a $75 million studio near the Atlantic City Boardwalk to accommodate the increased demand.
In December, Evolution announced a similar streaming product to MGM Live called Crazy Time. Already popular overseas, the live game show now streaming in the US incorporates components of The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune with casino gambling.