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Kindred to bring Unibet to Illinois and Ohio via Penn National Gaming deal

Kindred is set to launch Unibet in new US states after inking a market access deal with Penn National Gaming.

Kindred, the company behind Unibet, has announced a new online sports betting and gambling market access agreement with Penn National Gaming.

Kindred and Penn National’s deal

Under the market access agreement, Kindred aims to offer sports betting and casino gambling in the state of Illinois via the Unibet brand. However, the operator’s launch in the state is subject to receiving the necessary regulatory approvals for sports wagering and the state legislature approving online gambling.

In Illinois, Kindred’s Unibet brand will partner with the Argosy Casino Alton in the greater St. Louis area in order to launch its online sports betting platform. 

The deal also allows Kindred to enter Ohio via a partnership with Penn National’s Hollywood Casino, which operates venues in Columbus and Toledo, in addition to a facility at Dayton Raceway.

The agreements in place between Kindred and Penn National’s venues will span a ten-year period.

Manuel Stan, SVP Kindred US, said: “Extending our footprint in the US by establishing our brand in two key states like Illinois and Ohio is very exciting for us. We continue our journey in what we believe will become the largest gambling market in the world. 

“Putting Illinois and Ohio on the list together with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Indiana, shows our commitment to establishing Unibet in the US. Illinois is one of the largest US states and it will be the next State that we are targeting to launch.”

Sports betting in Ohio

Kindred’s launch in Ohio is dependant on the state legislature passing the necessary gambling expansion legislation.

Earlier this year, Ohio’s House of Representatives passed a bill that would legalise both land-based and mobile sports wagering by a vote of 83-10, more than a year after the legislation was introduced. However, the bill has not yet progressed beyond the Senate Floor.

Members of the Senate have introduced their own sports betting bill that would charge the Ohio Casino Control Commission to act as the state’s sports betting regulator instead of of the Ohio Lottery as proposed by the House legislation. The Senate bill has not moved past the committee stage.

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