Delaware North partners with Miomni Gaming

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality that also owns and operates a portfolio of regional casinos, today announced it has partnered with Miomni Gaming, a leading provider of U.S. mobile sports wagering technology, to provide turnkey retail and mobile sports wagering services.

The two companies will first focus on launching retail sportsbooks and online sports wagering services this fall for Delaware North's two West Virginia casinos, Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center in Wheeling and Mardi Gras Casino & Resort near Charleston. West Virginia is one of only a few states to have authorized sports wagering.

The Delaware North and Miomni partnership will create the exclusive sportsbook technology platform for Delaware North's gaming properties in states where sports wagering is or becomes legal. Currently, Delaware North operates gaming properties in Arizona, New York, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia and Arkansas. The two companies will also provide a turnkey sportsbook technology solution to other U.S. casino operators.

"In working with Miomni, a recognized expert firm on the technology side, Delaware North is uniquely positioned to become a leader in the emerging sports wagering sector in the United States," said Brian Hansberry, president of Delaware North's gaming business.

"We are a hospitality business with operations in nearly 40 states. We have extensive regulated gaming expertise and experience, both through our own holdings and as a business-to-business services provider for our partners. Leaders in West Virginia were proactive in positioning the state for sports wagering, so Delaware North, with two casinos in West Virginia, is now very much part of a first wave of operators. We think that this unique positioning – combined with our professional sports relationships, our ownership and operation of TD Garden in Boston, and our significant hotel and restaurant holdings – will entice other casino companies to want to explore the opportunities this partnership can present them," Hansberry said.

Delaware North made its first foray into the digital entertainment space in 2016 with the acquisition of Ruby Seven Studios, and today acts as a turnkey business-to-business online social casino provider for several leading U.S. casino operators.

"The partnership with Miomni will allow us to serve a new market of casino operators anxious to benefit from gaming expansion cost-efficiently, while increasing the visibility of their brand, deepening their customer relationships and enhancing the quality of their service offerings," said Luisa Woods, Delaware North's vice president of marketing for its gaming division.

Woods, who joined the company in late 2017, bringing two decades of online gaming experience in overseas and U.S.-regulated markets, is spearheading the sports wagering initiative for Delaware North.

"We are ideally positioned to be a principal architect in the evolution of gaming entertainment in the United States," Woods said. "We are focused on delivering on the promise of integrated destination entertainment and convenience gaming."

Miomni has been a leading online and mobile sports betting platform provider in Nevada since 2012, providing sports wagering technology to more than 50 leading casinos in the state.

"We are proud and excited to be working in partnership with Delaware North," Miomni CEO Mike Venner said. "Miomni is the chosen technology provider behind many of Nevada's leading online sportsbooks because we designed the platform to be flexible, easy to use and reliable, with innovative features designed specifically to engage and entertain U.S. sports fans. This partnership is the perfect fit from our perspective as we share a vision of delivering a world-class gaming experience."

At the two West Virginia casinos, Delaware North has created sportsbook spaces with flexible configurations and high visibility. The design and amenities foster a casual sports bar atmosphere with social seating and proximity to food and beverage options, including bars. The casino sportsbooks will offer a robust event calendar focused on major sports events.

"It all adds up to a high-energy, high-participation atmosphere," said Kim Florence, regional president and general manager for both Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras. "We think this will become a great draw to bring people from across the state and outside of West Virginia to experience these exciting resorts."