Inspired Gaming has entered into an agreement with the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City that will see the company bring virtual reality sports to the New Jersey online gambling market.
Golden Nugget will integrate Inspired Gaming’s virtual sports products through one of its existing vendors in the market, Spin Games. Inspired and Spin Games reached an agreement last month, but without an operator to provide the platform to bring virtual sports to the consumer, the games have simply sat on the shelf.
This week’s agreement with Golden Nugget in Atlantic City changes that.
Thomas Winter, Vice President of Online Gaming at Golden Nugget had this to say:
“We are thrilled to partner up with Inspired and add their innovative, world-class Virtual Sports to our content portfolio. With close to 300 games available through its web portal and mobile apps, GoldenNuggetCasino.com already offers the best and largest selection of games to New Jersey online players. This focus on delivering the best possible players experience allowed Golden Nugget to be the fastest online casino in New Jersey last year and to win the iGaming North America Operator of the Year award in 2015 and 2016. Virtual Sports brings fun to the next level and shows our restless commitment to remain the destination of choice for New Jersey online players.”
What it could mean for Golden Nugget and New Jersey
It’s not entirely clear how Golden Nugget will roll out virtual sports in the New Jersey online gaming market, but with the current sports betting void in the United States, and the tumult surrounding the daily fantasy sports industry, this product has the capability of taking off.
- First, virtual sports will be an altogether novel product in the U.S. market.
- Second, virtual sports are graphically amazing compared to current online gaming options.
If the response is good, it could further bolster Golden Nugget’s already strong online casino platform. It could give Golden Nugget a leg up on its competitors that lack such an innovative product in their online casino catalogs.
Although, based on the comments of Steve Rogers, Inspired Gaming’s CCO of Digital Games, the agreement with Golden Nugget is only the first step. If it catches on at Golden Nugget, expect virtual sports to proliferate in legal U.S. markets.
“This deal comes as part of Inspired’s ongoing global strategy, and we look forward to announcing further deals and projects in the U.S in the near future,” Rogers said in a press announcement. “We have a proven track record of creating new markets as we have demonstrated over the years in the UK, Italy, and China, to name a few, and we are sure that the U.S will be just as explosive.”
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What are virtual sports?
If you’ve ever watched a Super Bowl pregame show, you’ve seen virtual reality sports.
Virtual sports in this sense is where the two conference champions are pitted against one another in a game of Madden, with a computer playing a simulated version of the game.
Now, simply allow people to gamble on the outcome of these simulated games (these are not real teams or real players and therefore do not fall under the heading of sports betting) and you have Inspired’s virtual sports product.
Inspired’s version of virtual sports combines two elements: the amazing visuals and game play of a top-tier video game and betting.
What sports and betting options will be available?
Inspired Gaming has a massive catalog of virtual sporting events to choose from (including darts, cricket, horse racing, and football), and any number of team and betting options.
This gives the operator a chance to run as many simulated games as they please.