Mohegan Sun Announces Sports Betting Partnership With Kambi Group

• Connecticut casino Mohegan Sun has enlisted the Kambi Group to operate its forthcoming on-site and Internet-based sportsbooks.
• This follows last week’s Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment deal with the Kindred Group in neighboring Pennsylvania.
• Sports betting is expected to launch in CT later this year.

HARTFORD, Conn. – Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) has reached a deal with the Kambi Group, an international sportsbook operator based out of the Republic of Malta. The deal will provide the flagship Mohegan Sun casino with both on-site and online sports betting services.

For those who have been following the strategies and sports betting rollouts by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (MTGA) over the last month or so, things might seem a bit confusing with this latest deal.

Just last week, Mohegan Downs Racing – the MTGA subsidiary that operates the brand’s racino ventures – entered into an exclusive partnership with the Kindred Group. Both are considered top-class European sports wagering and gambling service providers.

As the latest Mohegan deal seemingly applies to all Mohegan properties, some might question how Kambi will displace Kindred or otherwise affect the partnership announced only a few days ago.

The answer is that it won’t. That’s because, as is so often the case in this latest wave of sports betting service partnerships, the two companies aren’t really unrelated: Kindred Group is a rebranded and restructured version of the erstwhile Unibet Group, while Kambi is a Unibet spinoff that maintains a close relationship with Kindred. The two brands even have similar logos.

In fact, this almost familial relationship between the two was formally reiterated to the public back in December 2018.

“The partnership between Kambi and Kindred…continues to deliver consistent sports betting growth in Europe and other parts of the world… As industry innovators, Kindred has leveraged the flexibility of the Kambi platform to develop truly unique and differentiated sports betting experiences for its players and we look forward to supporting Kindred in bringing those to the US.”

That plan certainly seems to be pushing ahead.

What Does Kambi Bring To The Table For Mohegan Sun?

The Kambi Group has already had a partnership in place with MGE to operate the land-based and Internet-based sportsbooks at the latter’s Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.

That partnership has been paying dividends so far. The idea now is to bring that same sort of approach to bear in Connecticut as soon as the state formally allows its pair of tribal venues to open up their sports betting lounges and online portals. That plan has been realized, says MGE VP Aviram Alroy.

“Mohegan Sun’s goal is to utilize our brand and strong presence in the state, and after a long vetting process, we found that Kambi was best positioned to complement that, as they’re the most sophisticated and comprehensive sportsbook out there.”

Right now, CT residents can actually get a fully-fledged preview of what Kambi’s product will look like once it goes live. On March 27, the Mohegan Sun Beyond app was updated to include sports wagering options.

Though this service does not allow real-money gambling, anyone in the US can access the interface and play, whether via desktop, iPhone, or Android.

This “soft” rollout is designed to both introduce customers to the Kambi platform and MGE brand and to work any potential kinks that might hold the real-money wagering product back when it officially launches in Connecticut later this year (provided the state legislature approves sports betting during the current legislative session).

News tags: Connecticut | Connecticut sports betting | Kambi Group | Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment