Exclusive: Genting launches online offering on Bahamas cruise
Operator signs sportsbook deal with SB Tech to provide betting facility on board cruise liner " applies for Nevada egaming licence
Genting Alderney has launched an online sports betting service on behalf of its sister company Resorts World Bimini, a cruise liner and casino which sails in the Bahamas.
The agreement sees Genting operate a physical sportsbook facility on board a 32,000-tonne cruise liner described as a “destination resort”, and an online offering which customers can access on their mobile and tablet devices.
The ship is owned by parent company Genting Group and sails twice daily between Port Miami in Florida and the Bahamian island of Bimini. Once in international waters, the online operator is free to offers its betting services to the 1,500 customers on board.
The launch follows a fixed-term contract signed between Genting Alderney and sports betting solutions supplier SBTech which sees the latter provide its sportsbook platform, trading and data feed services.
According to Genting Alderney managing director Peter Nolan, the launch is the first time the company has linked its online and offline capabilities and marks the start of similar projects across its land-based casino portfolio. The new system providing players a seamless journey between the two, Nolan said.
“We hope to bring the online and offline gambling experiences much closer. We’re creating the ability to physically deposit in one place and bet somewhere else such as by the pool or in the restaurant, which is the start of a longer-term strategy for us,” he added.
Nolan also confirmed the operator has applied for an online poker licence in Nevada in tandem with its application to develop and run a physical casino in Las Vegas.
The interactive licence filing was made last month and would allow Genting to launch online betting services to its casino customers, should the land-based licence be granted.