Just before Christmas, live casino specialist Authentic Gaming announced a landmark deal with Foxwoods Resort Casino to stream directly from the US-based casino to online players in Europe.
Foxwoods is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on a reservation in the US state of Connecticut while Authentic Gaming is a leading provider of live gaming solutions.
CasinoBeats talked to Authentic Gaming CEO Jonas Delin to find out more about the agreement to stream from the casino floor at Foxwoods.
So how did this ground-breaking deal come about? “We met with Foxwoods a while back when Authentic Roulette was just getting off the ground in Europe,” explained Delin.
“Perhaps the timing simply was not right then. About a year later I had come across an article in which Foxwoods was being praised as one of the most forward-thinking land-based casinos in North America, having a strong focus on innovation and online.
“I knew then that there was no better time to strike our partnership. A week later we were at Foxwoods shaking hands on the first steps towards the deal.”
Doing a deal is one thing but what are the regulatory implications of streaming from a US location to Europe?
“This sort of set-up requires a good relationship with your regulator, it is something that needs to be communicated and approved by a land-based casino from their regulator mainly for full transparency,” said Delin.
“However, it does not impact their specific jurisdiction, as the bet settling and where the players are coming from are from other EU regulated online jurisdictions which have their own regulators and set of regulations that are followed.”
What is the nature of the play? “So online players play alongside land-based players and can see hands and general activity of the land-based patrons as well as the dealers. However, for the land-based player, the set-up is 100 per cent discreet and the land-based players as such are not intimidated by extensive equipment dangling above them and impacting their game-play,” explained Delin.
“They know the table is streamed via a small sign that informs them but other than that they can enjoy the same bustling roulette environment as if it were a regular table unbeknown to them that there are another thousand players enjoying this same table somewhere in the world online.”
So which operators are taking the stream and are you expecting a spike in interest due to the fact it is coming from the US?
“The casino is being packaged as a premium table as we speak. The operators that do opt-in for the use of the Foxwoods table will benefit from incredible USPs for their brand and a great adventure for their online players.
“All online players in Europe dream of playing in US casinos, now they can from their favourite AG partnered, online casino from the comfort of their device. It will be a 24-hour table so the action will never stop, and operators will be able to enhance the experience for their players by handing down a giveaway of a trip to the property or a tournament for a chance to win an unforgettable Foxwoods experience for two,” said Delin.
Sounds like a lot of fun. So will there be more to follow? More US-to-Europe live streams perhaps?
Delin, however, is keeping his cards close to his chest: “We’d rather stay hush-hush on this topic and keep the industry on its toes.”
