COVERS
Written by: Geoff Zochodne
The new kid on the block in the Nevada sports betting scene now has the green light to open thanks to Silver State regulators, and just in time for football season.
Members of the Nevada Gaming Commission met Thursday and approved horse racing and sports betting-related licenses for Boomer’s Sportsbook, the Joe Asher-led effort that aims to be the state’s only independent bookmaker.
Asher, a former William Hill U.S. and IGT executive, told the commissioners the operator plans to open its retail sportsbooks at the (currently inactive) Commercial Casino in Elko on Aug. 1, and then a few days later at Ellis Island in Las Vegas and Casino Valle Verde in Henderson.
Boomer’s also has a mobile sports betting app in the works that will use IGT technology. As with other legal online options in Nevada, users will have to register in-person at one of the physical Boomer’s locations.
“We think there is room in the market for an independent operator, as William Hill was before it was acquired by Caesars, someone casinos can partner with for sports betting, but who is not a competitor to their core business,” Asher, the CEO of Boomer’s, told the commission Thursday. “We think there is also room in the market for a new sportsbook at the business-to-consumer level.”
Thursday’s approval follows that of the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) earlier this month, and puts Boomer’s on track to launch in advance of the uber-important football season.
The dream team
Asher told commissioners Boomer’s worked with IGT on fine-tuning its Nevada sports betting app, such as making registrations simpler. Boomer’s also plans an enticing sign-up offer for new customers and attractive pricing made……
