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The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved final licensure for sports-betting supplier Kambi Group, clearing the way for its entry into the state’s gaming market.
Kambi already has an agreement to provide software and maintain the sports-betting platform for Bally’s retail sportsbook in Lake Tahoe. The company still needs to conduct a field test of its software prior to full launch of the casino’s bookmaking business.
David Kenyon, CFO of Kambi, told the commission on Thursday (January 30) that the company anticipated being ready for July to conduct the trial.
Kambi offers various services for both online and retail betting, but initially in Nevada the company will submit its retail solution to the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s (NGCB) technical division for approval. The retail product for Bally’s is currently being tested and will be submitted to the NGCB towards the end of the first quarter.
Erik Lögdberg, managing director with Kambi, noted that Nevada's sports-betting market remains unique, with retail sportsbook operation more important in the state than in other U.S. markets due to the large number of brick-and-mortar casinos. Lögdberg said supporting casinos' retail sportsbook operations has been a key part of Kambi's U.S. business through partnerships with Parx Casino, Rush Street Gaming, Penn Entertainment and numerous tribal casinos.
“So that’s, of course, one of the reasons we’re here today. We see good business-development opportunities for us to take this leading service into the Nevada market,” Lögdberg said.
Lögdberg said Kambi hoped that Bally’s would merely be “our first customer in the state”.
During the licensing hearing, commissioner George Markantonis asked about Kambi’s decision to launch Abios, its esports division, and when the company expected it to become a larger part of its overall sports-betting business.
“That’s the billion-dollar question,” replied Kristopher Saw, Kambi’s chief technology officer. “It’s growing every year. The reason we made the investment, because we do believe that … younger patrons are definitely more inclined to make wagers on things like esports than they are golf [or] horseracing, for example.”
Saw said Kambi was confident esports betting will grow, “but the exact timeline is hard to put a number on”.
Commissioner Abbi Silver noted that Kambi had been fined $10,000 in December by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) for allowing bets on events after the outcomes were already known, as well as on a pre-match market for an event which had already started.
The complaint alleged that Kambi and Rush Street Interactive jointly engaged in the conduct between November 2021 through January 2024.
Saw acknowledged the complaint but said the incident was one of the challenges faced by sports-betting data providers supporting a wide range of sports where “event dates and times change”.
“We have many systems to make sure we keep up with that, but occasionally, something slips through the cracks where we’ll have an event that stays on-site on pre-match status versus live status,” Saw said. “That’s what happened here.”
“Certainly, anytime that happens we engage with the regulator that we need to and talk about a plan to ensure the risk of this reoccurring is very low,” Saw added.
Governor Names New Control Board Member
Elsewhere in Nevada, a deputy city attorney in Reno and former internal auditor with Caesars Entertainment has been appointed by Republican Governor Joe Lombardo to serve on the NGCB.
Chandeni Sendall, who in 2015 joined the civil division of the city of Reno’s attorney’s office, will replace Brittnie Watkins, who announced earlier this month that she would not seek reappointment to the control board.
The three-member NGCB evaluates and makes recommendations on gaming license applications, potential regulatory changes and enforcement complaints, with a final decision subject to vote by the five-member Nevada Gaming Commission.
“With her unique background in law and compliance, Chandeni will bring fresh insight and critical perspective to the board,” Lombardo said in a statement. “I look forward to her leadership and contributions to gaming oversight in our state.”
Sendall will begin her four-year term this week. Watkins announced at the January 15 control board meeting that she would not seek reappointment after serving four years on the NGCB, including two months as interim chair.
Sendall will join chairman Kirk Hendrick and retired Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge George Assad as the three serving NGCB members.
However, Hendrick announced on January 22 his decision to resign from the control board following the end of Nevada's 2025 legislative session. The 120-day session is scheduled to begin on February 3 and end on June 2.
