SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
In a historic move, following the launch of the Kambi-powered DraftKings Sportsbook, New Jersey punters have for the first time, been able to place online wagers in the post-PASPA U.S. market.
Yesterday’s ground-breaking launch comes after Kambi and DraftKings, along with DraftKings’ land-based licensing partner Resorts Casino, were approved for an online sports betting Transactional Waiver from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).
A Transactional Waiver is the first regulatory step to securing a full licence in New Jersey and acts as a preliminary permit to operate within the state until the full licensing process has been completed.
The approval of the Transactional Waiver followed a thorough vetting process, with the DGE scrutinising areas such as product and technology to ensure Kambi complied with the regulator’s procedural and technical standards.
Until now, the DGE had yet to approve a Transactional Waiver for online sports betting, with the regulator having only issued land-based operations with a similar permit.
Kristian Nylén, Kambi Chief Executive Officer, commented: “This launch marks an exciting new chapter for Kambi, creating history by becoming the first sports betting supplier to process online wagers in the U.S. following the repeal of PASPA.
“In addition, to so quickly meet the New Jersey regulator’s online standards and requirements is also pleasing, as the achievement enhances our position as the secure and quality choice for operators seeking a sportsbook partner.”
The fact Kambi is the first, and so far only, supplier to launch an online sportsbook service in partnership with an operator is borne out of the company’s vast experience in regulated markets, transparent corporate structure and continual focus on matters concerning probity and integrity.
The release of the DraftKings Sportsbook comes just six weeks after Kambi and DraftKings signed an agreement to launch a U.S.-facing product, demonstrating the speed at which Kambi enables customers to go to market.
As per state regulations, yesterday’s launch has activated a five-day ‘soft play’ phase, during which time certain limitations must be applied to the product, such as scope of offer, opening hours and number of concurrent users.
