IGT enhances sports betting footprint with Mississippi’s Choctaw Indians

Global gaming organisation International Game Technology (IGT) has announced an extension of its sports betting provisions to encompass tribal gaming, after inking an agreement with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Under the terms of the partnership, IGT is to supply its PlayDigital sports wagering solution to a trio of Choctaw Mississippi based properties, namely Pearl River Resorts’ Golden Moon Hotel and Casino and Silver Star Hotel and Casino in Choctaw, as well as Sandersville’s Bok Homa Casino.

Visitors to either of the three casinos will now be able to utilise IGT technology and services to place pre-match and in-play wagers over the counter, with each also making an agreement for the addition of IGT kiosks, and other essential sports betting peripherals, to their offering in the future.

Enrico Drago, IGT senior vice president of PlayDigital, explained: “IGT’s leading entry into the tribal gaming sports betting space, demonstrates how a wide variety of casino operators can benefit from our flexible, market-ready PlayShot sports betting solution, today.

“With IGT PlayDigital’s technology and expertise, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians introduced sports betting to players with confidence, knowing that PlayShot is already the trusted sports betting platform provider at more than 15 US casinos across multiple states.”

The Magnolia State achieved one of many sports betting firsts within the United States recently, with the Choctaw tribe, via its Pearl River Resort based Golden Moon Hotel and Casino, becoming the first tribe to offer sports betting outside of Nevada following the fall of PASPA.

Speaking at the time Phyliss J Anderson, tribal chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, stated: “We’re very excited to be one of the very first tribal gaming facilities to offer traditional sports wagering. Our guests can now bet on all professional league sports and major collegiate sporting events on our property.”

Beats breakdown: Mississippi was quite rightly, and sensibly, one of the few states to be prepared for May’s PASPA repeal, and subsequently acted swiftly to permit legalised sports betting. However, in the quest to rid the nation of the spectre of the illegal market, the absence of mobile capabilities is a huge miss, and will be across any state that progresses in such a way as this. Permitting sports betting is not a negative thing at all, and a boost will to figures will undoubtedly be seen, but restricting it to physical casino visits, when an individual could easily place the same bet from his comfort of his/her own home, is missing the mark.