Fans of hockey and online betting will be pleased to hear that Caesars Entertainment is now partnered with the National Hockey League (NHL). Two powerhouse brands have teamed up to produce “Caesars NHL Blackjack,” the newest live dealer blackjack game that merges elements of hockey with classic casino gameplay. The exclusive game, being a table modelled after the hockey rink and featuring the NHL shield, is available now to players in Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania- the three leading iGaming markets in the United States.
This game-changer, released in collaboration with Evolution’s eminent gaming studio, signifies significant progress in fusing the worlds of sports fandom and casino gambling. Caesars is trying to take advantage of the excitement and drama of NHL events, particularly in the playoffs, to move the bar of their live online gaming products to new heights. Although slot machines remain the major profit source for US online casinos, this game inspired by the NHL is likely to positively contribute to Caesars’ revenues — primarily within their live dealer category.
Caesars Executive Vice President Matt Sunderland said implementing NHL Blackjack at Caesars is a major milestone in this strategic plan. He expressed his enthusiasm and said it would make building more interesting games easier for players with the same interests. In addition, Mr. Sunderland noted that this is the preliminary stage of their collaboration with the National Hockey League (NHL), and they plan to come back with some entertaining sports games with different themes.
A detailed evaluation of Caesars’ progress in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania shows a mixed bag but an optimistic view overall. In the case of Michigan, their partnership with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians led to a whopping $11.3 million in online casino earnings by the end of March 2024. This implies that the 5.3% market share resulted from those other competitors occupying fifth place in the territory.
The New Jersey Gaming Enforcement Division states that the Caesars’ online casinos brought in approximately $6.5m during this period, with the highest revenue being from slots and live dealer games, which attained 3.3% out of the total iGaming revenue for the state in January 2022, which is $197.1m.
Pennsylvania shines as a feather in the cap of Caesars, earning them nearly $10.4 million in revenues in March 2024 and ranking fourth among the state’s top online casino operators. Remarkably, table games, including live dealer games such as NHL Blackjack, amounted to around $2 million of the overall contribution. Also, Caesars online casinos in Pennsylvania experienced the highest year-on-year increase of 113.1% in revenue for that month among all operators.
Along with this, a new study sponsored by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has indicated that spending on online gambling is growing, and the amounts spent on digital platforms are greater than those paid at physical casinos.
Caesars’ bold step to infuse NHL features into their online gaming platform targets the sports-loving audience and consolidates their dominance in the highly competitive online gaming world. This strategic step paves the way for high-end and action-packed gameplay that will bring a rush of customers in and the corresponding increase in revenue from the real-time virtual gaming industry.
