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The Puerto Rico Gaming Commission has authorised seven new companies to operate or support sports betting on the island, according to the agency's interim executive director.
Following the launch of sports betting by BetMGM at one casino earlier this year, the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission has recently awarded seven companies licences to serve as suppliers or operators of sports betting, said Jaime Rivera Emmanuelli.
Three operators were awarded temporary licences: Ballers Puerto Rico Sportsbook LLC; Liberman Media Group Gaming LLC (LMG); and CCHPR Hospitality LLC (Metro Casino). Caesars Digital PR Inc was given permission to operate on a temporary basis as a technology platform provider.
Service providers US Integrity and Swish Analytics Puerto Rico Inc have been awarded permanent supplier licences, while Continent 8 Technologies was awarded a temporary licence.
At the SBC Summit Latinomerica in Florida last week, Riviera Emmanuelli addressed the problems the island nation faces in a modernising gaming industry. A lawyer, he took the reins at the commission after his predecessor, Orlando Rivera, stepped down in May for mixing personal and business trips and expenses.
The old guard of gambling in Puerto Rico focused on horseracing, while millennials are more interested in sports betting and online gambling, Riviera Emmanuelli said.
Part of the struggle for the commission, he said, is building a gambling industry that focuses on the future.
“We have prepared an oversight management board that is basically reviewing all the government agencies. The gaming industry is changing very very quickly,” Riviera Emmanuelli told the assembled audience.
Online sports betting in Puerto Rico became legal with the passage of Bill 1534, and although some licence applications have been awarded, no platforms are functioning yet due to the government’s long and laborious regulation process.
For these seven in-person sports-betting licences, service provider operators will pay the government $5,000 for the licence. Technology platform providers pay $15,000, while gaming operators pay $50,000.
