One of the most popular iGaming brands in the industry headquartered in Malta, GiG or Gaming Innovation Group Incorporated has just recently announced the signing of an important business agreement that will see the company bringing sports betting activities Iowa’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sioux City and. With its main office in Valetta’s St Julian’s area, the company used its official press release to share more details about this business agreement.

It was revealed that Gaming Innovation Group Incorporated has partnered with one of the biggest US-based casino operators Hard Rock International to initially launch its sportsbook in the Woodbury County-located gambling facility before the premier of both a mobile and online sports betting service.

GiG Incorporated also offers poker services through its websites including Kaboo.com, Thrills.com, Superlenny.com, Betspin.com, Rizk.com, and Guts.com. Gaming Innovation Group Incorporated emerged on the scene eleven years ago in 2008 led by its founders Frode Fagerli and Robin Reed. In addition to its main Malta-based office, GiG Incorporated has offices in Copenhagen, Gibraltar, Oslo, and Marbella.

Excellent Business-to-Consumer Sports Betting, Casino and Poker Services

Besides offering a variety of services to its customers including its poker, casino, and sports betting business-to-consumer services, GiG Incorporated also operates its extremely popular GiG Core platform which is a fully cloud-based gaming software initially named iGaming Cloud. At the beginning of its journey in the industry, the company was traded as Donkr International Ltd. as the holding firm of Innovation Labs Ltd. which is the trading firm behind the Donkr.com online poker website.

Four years later, Robin Reed and Frode Fagerli became the sole owners of the firm and rename it to GiG Incorporated we know today. That same year, the MT SecureTrade Limited back then known as Gust Gaming Ltd. company was fully incorporated in Gaming Innovation Group Incorporated. One year later, in May of 2013, the company established its Guts.com website that offers casino games and sports betting activities.

Back in 2014, the firm obtained necessary remote gaming licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority and United Kingdom Gaming Commission which allowed it to sign up games and payment vendors directly with punters as a fully-fledged, licenses and regulated iGaming casino operators. Several months later, the company’s other subsidiary H2Hpoker Ltd. after being renamed to iGamingCloud Ltd. launched its first B2B iGaming platform service which went live that same year.

Strengthening Its Presence in the Industry

Over the years, the company launched a number of services including its Rizk.com online casino as well as acquired several smaller businesses including OddsModel AS in 2016, Betit Holdings also in 2016 and Rebel Penguin in 2017. Thanks to its latest business deal with the Hard Rock International company, GiG Incorporated can even further strengthen its presence in the industry.

In its official press release related to the latest business deal, the company’s officials said that Iowa makes a perfect state to expand as it is one of only twelve states in which sports betting is legalized after the last year’s the United States Supreme Court ruling which invalidated the PASPA. This particular piece of legislation was the one limiting sportsbooks to gambling facilities located in Nevada, but its eventual revocation inspired the state of Iowa’s gambling commission to allow the state’s nineteen casino facilities to provide both online and retail sports betting services to customers over the age of twenty-one.

Gaming Innovation Group Incorporated already provides its sports betting services to players in New Jersey while customers at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sioux City will be able to enjoy very similar, fully engaging and seamless betting experiences. The company’s official press release also details that the Iowa-based facility will be provided with the company’s omnichannel sports betting service. All in all, both companies will benefit from the deal with GiG Incorporated boosting its presence in the state and Hard Rock International further enriching its sportsbook portfolio.

As it seems by the latest news, legal sportsbetting could arrive at the state of Iowa in mid-August in the case of the state’s gaming regulator approving the laws and rules which will govern its sportsbetting industry. The meeting at which the state regulator’s officials will discuss the subject is set to take place in several days. What already happen is the state of Iowa becoming one of several US states to legalize sportsbetting this year.

Considering the fact that launching of the very first Iowa-based sportsbook this year is subject to a single regulatory approval, the state of Iowa is about to outpace its neighborhood Illinois in the start of betting on sports events both online and at land-based gambling facilities. As it was reported last month, the Governor of the state of Illinois, Mr. Pritzker signed a proposed gaming bill into law last month. With this move, the state of Illinois authorized the provision of multiple sportsbetting activities within the state’s borders.

Iowa’s Governor Kim Reynolds was the one who paved the way to legal sportbetting in the state after signing a bill into law in May this year. This law legalized wagering on college and professional leagues at both online and land-based casinos. As mentioned at the beginning, the mid-August start of the very first sportsbook in the state depends on whether the state’s Racing and Gaming Commission approves the rules proposed or not.

Technical Corrections and Modifications

There was a public hearing held on the 11^th of July and it saw specific technical corrections and modifications made to the basic draft rules. All in all, these changes made are believed to the fully ready for consideration by the state’s gambling regulator as reported by the Racing and Gaming Commission’s Administrator Brian Ohorilko several days ago.

After Senate File 617, regarding the proposed gambling bill was signed into law, all of the major betting operators started eyeing the state’s gambling market expansion. With the bill signed into law, all of the state’s legally operating land-based casinos are allowed to offer both digital and in-person sportsbetting activities and services. Iowa-based bettors will be allowed legally to place real-money wagers on the majority of college and professional sports as long as these events do not include Iowa-based college teams.

The State of Iowa Legalizing Fantasy Sports

In addition to legalizing online and in-person sportsbetting activities, the state of Iowa also legalized fantasy sports as part of its latest expansion. Eighteen out of nineteen land-based casinos which operate in the state have already applied for their sportsbetting gaming licenses with Iowa’s gambling regulator. The only property which has not applied, at least not yet is Casino Queen Marquette. The regulator’s Administrator Mr. Ohorilko believed that Queen Marquette will apply eventually.

As mentioned at the beginning, is the state’s Racing and Gaming Commission approves the most recently proposed betting rules, the very first Iowa-based sportsbook will go live on the 15th of August. With the approved betting rules, the gambling facilities will be also allowed to partner with third-party companies. Naturally, these third-party companies will also have to apply for their gaming licenses with the state’s gaming regulator to be able to offer their services within the state’s borders.