Posting date: 13 July 2023 at 12:30h

Last updated: July 12, 2023 at 05:32h.
A blackjack dealer operates an online game remotely via a Stakelogic studio. Stakelogic will partner with Bally’s to develop the online casino platform that is expected to be launched in Rhode Island next April. (Image: Stakelogic)

Bally’s today announced an agreement with Stakelogic, a leading provider of online casino games and remote live dealer services. Stakelogic develops interactive slots and offers dealers for licensed iGaming platforms from its two studios based in Malta and the Netherlands.

Rhode island’s online gambling statute will take effect on April 1, 2024. The law only allows Bally’s to operate interactive slots and table games over the internet with a third-party partner.

Bally’s is already operational in three of the six US states that have regulated online casino gambling up and running. The Bally Casino app and platform are live in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Rhode Island come April 2024 will become the seventh legal iGaming jurisdiction in the US, with Michigan, West Virginia, and Connecticut being the others. Rhode Island’s iGaming law allows Bally’s Online to offer both online slots and online table games. The state will take a share of 61% of slot wins and 15% of table holds. The computer-simulated table games that are common in other states with online gaming are not permitted.

Stakelogic’s live dealer studios will be used to meet the requirement of live dealers in order to run the table games on the Bally Casino platform. “It will also enable us to build on our tremendous growth since launching live casino 14 months ago, positioning Stakelogic as a leading technology company in the iGaming industry.”

Bally’s could have gone with Evolution Gaming, which is considered to be the iGaming industry leader for live dealers. Bally’s chose Stakelogic because it was a better match. A Bally’s release called Stakelogic “one of the rising stars of iGaming.” Stakelogic is live in more than 20 overseas markets.

iGaming Expansion

Sports betting quickly expanded across the US after the Supreme Court in May 2018 struck down the federal ban that had limited single-game wagering to Nevada. But unlike sports betting, which has found favor in more than 30 state capitals, iGaming hasn’t gained nearly the same support.

iGaming presents a much larger prize than sports betting for gaming operators, as sports margins are razor-thin. New Jersey oddsmakers, for example, kept $726.3 of the $10.9 billion in sports bets last year. Many elected officials opposed iGaming in Rhode Island. The majority of Rhode Island lawmakers debated the merits of allowing iGaming, with many elected officials in opposition.