Sportech's US operation granted key New Jersey casino license

It is believed to be the first European-owned betting business to have achieved this.

The company said this follows a thorough investigation of its services and staff by the authorities.

In New Jersey, Sportech Racing processes all the wagering for the racing industry at racecourses, off track betting facilities, certain casinos in Atlantic City, and through the state’s only sanctioned “advance deposit wagering” (online betting) service.

In addition, Sportech’s data and operations centre, which is based in Mt Laurel, New Jersey, processes a total of £7.4bn of bets a year for customers in the US, Canada, the Caribbean and South America.

This facility also acts to back up Sportech’s Berlin data centre, which processes bets for its European customers. In total, the two facilities process £8.75bn of bets each year globally.

A New Jersey licence is regarded as one of the very highest endorsements available to operators in the sector, and will have a beneficial impact on Sportech’s activities not only in New Jersey and the Americas, but also in regulated environments globally.

Ian Penrose, Sportech chief executive said “We are delighted to have been awarded our license in New Jersey, which we believe is among the first, if not the first, to be acquired there by a European gaming group.

“It is viewed as a ‘Gold Standard’ in licensing in the sector globally, and is an endorsement of our standards of operations and the qualifications of our directors and senior employees.

“I thank all those who have been involved in the process to help us get to this point, and look forward to building on the opportunity that this licence award presents to Sportech.”

Yesterday, Sportech expanded its European customer base in a deal with Spanish brand Apuesta Hipica y Deportiva Iberia.