The state of Connecticut recently moved much closer to offering online gambling opportunities to its residents and visitors. The Foxwoods Resort Casino is a gambling mainstay in The Constitution State, and it was recently reported that they have developed a partnership with the GameAccount Network in agreement to offering online gambling opportunities in Connecticut, and the United States. Foxwoods is owned and operated by Connecticut’s Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN), and the partnership combines the leading independent and privately owned Internet gaming software provider in Europe and the owners of the largest resort casino in North America.
While online gambling has not been legalized to operate in Connecticut as of yet, this agreement firmly places both the Mashantucket Indian tribe and GameAccount firmly in a leadership position should legislation be passed allowing online gambling in Connecticut. It also makes the passage of legalized gambling much more attractive for legislators in that state, by showing that two of the most respected and experienced brick-and-mortar and virtual gambling companies in the world are capable of delivering a viable and safe online gambling experience as soon as Connecticut Internet gaming is a reality.
But the two experienced virtual and physical Las Vegas style gaming providers are not waiting for online gambling to be legalized in Connecticut. In a statement the newly formed partnership announced that they will first focus on free-play gaming opportunities in the United States, thereby allowing them to build a potentially profitable player pool of online casino gaming enthusiasts. Once the GameAccount technology and platform is put in place, a transition from free-play to pay-for-play would be virtually instant once online gambling legislation is okayed.
Both parties agreed that the partnership is subject to approval by any relevant Connecticut and US regulatory authorities, and an early look at what could be offers a positive glimpse into the future. More than 1 million visitors currently check out the Foxwoods.com website every month, and this means that the Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprise (MPGE) is uniquely positioned for an almost instant online gambling payday. The new partnership is set to launch a “compelling virtual Internet gaming offering” on the Foxwoods.com website, one that offers what both parties are calling a “future-proofed” automatic upgrade to real money Internet gaming in that state when it is passed.
MPTN and GameAccount are also prepared to extend their partnership outside the Foxwoods brand. In the future the newly formed team will offer business-to-business (B2B) online gaming solutions for other operators throughout the United States. For MPTN it means spreading their influence from Connecticut to the entire United States, and it delivers statewide access to the European-based GameAccount. But also, as more and more United States follow the lead of Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware in legalizing online gambling, potential pay-for-play Internet providers would have access to a tested and approved system for immediate entry into the virtual marketplace.