Playtech and MGM Resorts International have joined forces to deliver “the spark” of Las Vegas to online players around the world.
Speaking at one of SBC Summit’s press conferences last week, the companies came together to reveal the conception of MGM Live, an array of live casino products broadcasted directly from MGM’s world-famous Vegas establishments.
Chrisitan Stuart, SVP, Head of Interactive at MGM Resorts International, began the press conference by expressing the company’s excitement in a collaboration that aims to bring the “elevated experience” of Vegas to all regulated markets.
“We’ve been looking at the live dealer space for quite some time,” he said. ”It’s a large industry that represents about 20-30% of operator revenue, and we were trying to find our footing in what we could do in this space. After much searching around, we landed on Las Vegas – that’s our distinctive feature.
“MGM has a major footprint in Las Vegas, it’s our home turf. We have billions of dollars worth of assets, but those assets have only ever been enjoyed in person. You’ve always had to travel to Las Vegas to see and experience them.
“What we’re doing with Playtech is bringing that experience online, to the global regulated marketplace. You’ll be able to experience the excitement and the energy of gaming in Las Vegas.”
“It’s a very exciting time for us, it allows us to expand our four walls and allow customers to play in Vegas every single night.”
As a result of the partnership, Playtech has produced live casino titles in two of MGM’s flagship venues on the Vegas Strip – Bellagio and MGM Grand – using the operator’s recognisable Vegas assets.
The igaming supplier’s CCO, Shimon Akad, added to Stuart’s excitement by underlining the significance of working with one of Vegas’ most prestigious casino operators.
He commented: “We take a lot of pride in the fact that MGM Resorts – the iconic casino operator from Las Vegas and across the world – has chosen to partner up with Playtech as its trusted technology supplier to work together on something that the industry has not seen before.
“The concept was that everyone knows Vegas. Vegas is the undisputed, unchallenged, almost official capital of the gambling world. Everybody who loves gambling wants to travel to Vegas.
“It’s a city that is a unique place, so partnering together with MGM Resorts and delivering some of that spark, some of that experience off the floor of Vegas directly into customers’ homes is a unique experience that players were looking for, but did not have before. This is a groundbreaking thing.”
Taking questions from the media, the pair were quizzed about the challenges they both faced when trying to package the Vegas experience into an online offering, which led Stuart to stress the collaboration’s faith in the city as “a global brand”.
Stuart said: “With Playtech, we saw eye-to-eye on the strategy that Vegas is a global brand. Vegas will cut through all markets.
“A lot of times when you’re looking at a US product selling to a certain jurisdiction, you worry about how it needs to be tailored to that market. But we believe that Vegas is a global brand that will allow us to cut through a lot of the noise.”
Akad reiterated this notion by stating that Vegas is a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip for most players, ensuring that offering the Vegas experience on an online stage would have strong global appeal.
He noted: “If you are a player, you fall in love with Vegas when you go there. Two of the iconic places where you have to be are the MGM Grand and the Bellagio, with the fountains and everything around them. It’s part of the experience.
“What we’re trying to do is give you that land-based, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience and bring it into the online experience.
“There is a lot of work in the details of how to do it, and I’m happy to say that when we had the first conversations together with MGM, we found out very early on that we have a belief in common that the players are yearning for that elevated experience, for something fresh, new and hasn’t been done before.
“That unique experience only exists with the live casino experience that we have together.”
The conversation then turned to regulation, with Stuart expressing that MGM Live content will be delivered “in a regulated fashion” to any jurisdictions they enter.
“It is a journey to work in a regulated environment,” he said. “We’re very thankful to have privileged licences. MGM is licensed in all jurisdictions that we operate in, which comes with a responsibility.
“Getting our licence in Nevada and in each jurisdiction, making sure that all our operators are licenced, making sure that we have our certifications for internet security and all these different protocols, this has taken us a bit of time, but now we have total confidence in bringing this to market, and we’re able to deliver this product in a regulated fashion.”
Akad then referred to heaps of interest from licensees across many jurisdictions, with operators hoping to make MGM Live content and the stay-at-home Vegas experience available to their players.
He added: “When we announced for the first time that we were doing this deal, we saw a huge turnout from many licensees, all calling us asking when they can get the live-dealer experience in their jurisdiction. We told them it’s our intention to distribute it everywhere that’s regulated.
“It takes a little bit of time because we have to do everything by the book and follow the guidelines. It’s very important for us to go where responsible gaming is. Eventually, we want to bring that elevated experience to all the regulated markets where it is allowed.”
Stuart and Akad were then questioned on whether they thought this live-dealer content would have a strong appeal with younger players, as well as players that have never set foot in Vegas before.
Stuart explained his confidence in appealing to “current gamers as well as new gamers” after witnessing MGM Live’s appeal in markets where it has already been launched, such as the UK and Mexico.
Stuart continued: “We see that for players in the UK who can now get on a table live-streamed from Vegas, they have all the social factors that come with it, being able to say ‘last night I was playing in Las Vegas and I hit a big payout, you should’ve seen it, they were pushing the chips across the table because a player in the Bellagio won as well, and I won with them’.
“There’s a lot of things that we’re going to incorporate into this product as we develop it. Stage one was playing actual live games, but next, we’re going to have a studio where you’re going to be able to see celebrities, which will appeal to a broader audience.
“I think it is going to appeal to current gamers as well as new gamers all in a responsible fashion.”
Before the session came to an end, another question asked if MGM Live content would become available in the US, as well as the collaboration’s plans to expand further afield.
Stuart pointed out that expansion within the US is a tricky affair, with regulations only allowing suppliers to stream content in states where they originally built the studio.
However, he wondered whether this could be something that “changes down the road”, explaining that “it’s not in our control but obviously we would love to be able to do it”.
Underlining the collaboration’s desire to stay ahead of the curve with this first-to-market content, Akad concluded: “I’m certain that you will hear of many more providers trying to look now for a similar solution elsewhere, but we intend to stay one step ahead.”
Australia’s Minister of Communications, Michelle Rowland, has appointed Richard Eccles to conduct the first statutory review of the country’s national self-exclusion register – BetStop.
Implemented in August 2023 by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, BetStop is being reviewed due to a requirement in the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which states a review of the self-exclusion service must be conducted after a year of operations to make sure it is an effective measure to protect those vulnerable from gambling harm.
The Minister’s statement also said that the review will “add to the evidence base on the impacts of BetStop in Australia and voluntary exclusion programs to help inform future policy”.
BetStop covers all Australian licensed igaming providers, stopping them from opening a new account for self‑excluded individuals, accepting bets from them, or sending them marketing material. Operators must also close existing betting accounts for registered individuals.
Since its launch, more than 30,000 Australians have registered with BetStop. 79% of registrants are aged 40 and under, 39% have registered for a lifetime ban and around 23,000 people have active exclusions.
According to the minister’s statement, based on BetStop registrations to date and evidence from similar programs, lifetime registrations for the service may have achieved a total cost saving of between $80m to $135m in the first year.
“There has been a massive take-up of BetStop in its first 12 months, making a meaningful difference and changing the lives of thousands of Australians and their families,” commented Rowland.
“We want to make sure BetStop is working as effectively as possible to protect vulnerable Australians from gambling harms – which is why my department is undertaking this review. I encourage people who’ve registered or interacted with BetStop to participate in our upcoming public consultation so we can take on your feedback to inform any future changes.”
Conducting the review will be Eccles, who is described as an experienced senior public sector leader with governance, executive management and advisory expertise, with experience in public health, online safety and technology.
The Minister’s statement said the review will examine “the effectiveness of BetStop’s underpinning regulatory framework and whether regulatory arrangements under the Interactive Gambling (National Self-Exclusion Register) Register Rules 2022 and the National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Act 2019 are fit for purpose”.
A consultation process will be opened later this year so the public can provide feedback that could help inform future changes. Eccles will deliver his review to the Minister for Communications within 18 months, with this report being tabled in Parliament.
In late November, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts is expected to publish additional review details, including public consultation mechanisms, on its ‘Have Your Say’ webpage.
Amanda Rishworth, Minister for Social Services, added: “Preventing and reducing online gambling harms is a priority for this government, and we’ve taken a number of strong actions to this end.
“This review is an opportunity to ensure that BetStop – a key measure – is operating effectively. Protecting vulnerable Australians from online gambling harms is not a set-and-forget proposition – and we’ll continue to work closely with stakeholders across government, industry and community to address this pervasive issue.”
