Cordish Gaming Group and GAN Limited extended their five-yearlong business relationship, agreeing to make the software company the platform provider for its online casino business in Pennsylvania.
The two companies had previously joined forces at Cordish’s Maryland Live! Casino.
PlayLive! is the branded name for Cordish in PA
PlayLive! is the branded internet wagering business for PA, and will be a part of the development of Live!-branded properties in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Robert J. Norton, President of Cordish Gaming Group, added:
“GAN was the logical provider of our enterprise platform for launching real money Internet gambling and offers Cordish the ability to extend on-property rewards into the online channel, which has been shown to increase loyalty amongst players of Simulated Gaming.”
GAN stock jumped on NASDAQ as much as 21.4% after the announcement before settling at up 9.8% by the end of Thursday trading.
FanDuel was previously announced as the company’s sportsbook partner.
Launching before the retail casinos
The platform is expected to launch before the brick-and-mortar facilities open, apparently a first.
The construction at both facilities stopped for a time due to COVID-19 restrictions, but has resumed recently. The company still projects opening both projects before the turn of the year.
Cordish locations in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
The new Live! Casino & Hotel, located in the Philadelphia sports stadium area, is a gaming & entertainment destination with a hotel, shopping, onsite garage and an esports arena, featuring 2,200 slot machines and more than 150 live-action table games.
The second new Live! Casino, located in Westmoreland County, near Pittsburgh, will feature more than 100,000 square feet of gaming, dining, and entertainment space. The mini-casino, located in a former mall space, will include 750 slots and about 30 live-action table games with an industry veteran in charge.
The company projects the internet gambling site and related mobile apps will launch this fall. Cordish had announced that plan last fall when construction in Philly was topped off.
Sign up for rewards sooner
PlayLive should enable residents of PA to enroll in advance for their Live! Rewards Players Card.
The brand should have a full range of gambling content, including online casino slots, table games and some non-traditional online gambling games.
The companies began working together in Maryland with simulated gambling sites and now will extend to real money in PA.
These operations will increase GAN’s footprint. The company is already in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana. Michigan and Ohio operations begin in 2021.
Dermot Smurfit, CEO of GAN Limited, said of the relationship:
“We’re delighted to expand upon our long-standing relationship with one of America’s premier commercial real estate families. Bringing Pennsylvania’s newest casino online later this year will be a genuine privilege. Online will remain the growth driver of this industry for decades to come, not just in Pennsylvania but across the nation.”