Foxwoods and GameAccount Ink US Online Gambling Partnership

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Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 | Written by Shane Larson

Another substantial partnership hoping to profit from the impending regulation of online gambling in the United States was formed today, as land-based casino giant Foxwoods and technology provider GameAccount Network announced a sweeping alliance.

Specifics of the partnership – such as revenue sharing – were not announced in the initial press surrounding the partnership. The general gist of the alliance is that Foxwoods will provide the branding and access to customers, while GameAccount Network will provide the platform and backend to power the online gambling product.

State regulators must still approve the partnership between Foxwoods and GameAccount in order for the deal to be finalized.

The combined product will be available at Foxwoods.com. Initial reports indicate the companies are shooting for a 2013 launch, but a firm date has yet to be offered. While the partnership is obviously focused on eventually offering real-money games to residents of the state (and possibly beyond), the scope of the initial product offering will be limited to free-play versions of poker and casino games. Read more about current options for US poker players here.

GameAccount Network’s platform consists of over 50 games. Among the lineup are card game classics like Rummy and Texas Holdem. The company focuses on “skill games” but also offers a complete selection of casino games like slots and roulette.

It’s likely – but not certain – that the lineup of virtual games available at launch will mimic the core offerings of the land-based Foxwoods Resort Casino – slots, table games, keno, bingo and poker.

In addition to the consumer product, Foxwoods and GameAccount plan to offer a variety of business-to-business services to other groups via their newely established partnership.

Foxwoods is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut. With over 2,220 hotel rooms and a staggering 340,000 square feet of gaming space, Foxwoods is easily among the largest casinos in the United States and the world.

“The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe has long been a leader in brick and mortar casino operations, and with the help of GameAccount we aim to take the same leadership position in regulated online gaming in the US,” said Rodney Butler, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Chairman.

Unlike some casino websites which are under-developed and visited only sporadically, the online presence of Foxwoods is substantial. The main site for the casino, Foxwoods.com, boasts monthly visitor counts in the 1 million range. Their Facebook page has nearly 150,000 likes. The official Twitter account for Foxwoods counts about 13,000 individual followers. And Foxwoods is one of the few casinos that already has their own official app in the iTunes App Store. All of these assets suggest that Foxwoods might have an easier time transitioning into real-money online gambling than some other regional and tribal casino interests.

This announcement is only the latest in a parade of partnerships between land-based gambling interests and online gambling interests. 888 Poker recently announced a deal to team with Treasure Island for online poker offerings, and PokerStars is in the advanced stages of an attempt to purchase the Atlantic Club Casino.

These partnerships are likely to continue to proliferate, as overseas companies with years of experience look to join up with American casinos that have established customer bases and extensive experience with the complicated regulatory process in the United States, but little in the way of firsthand exposure to the unique business of online gambling.