AV Integrators Cash In on Casino Market After Supreme Court Ruling on Sports Betting
Supreme Court gives states the authority to launch sports betting across U.S. What does this ruling mean for AV integrators and betting technology?
by D. Craig MacCormack
an excerpt from Commercial Integrator Magazine featuring Ken Newbury of McCann Systems
You won’t have to go to Las Vegas anymore to place bets on your favorite sports team winning a championship, but AV integrators aren’t expecting Sin City to become a ghost town as a result on the recent Supreme Court ruling that allows states to decide if they want sports betting (and betting technology).
Much like the action at a Vegas card table during InfoComm 2018, expect the activity on sports gambling to be fast and furious—at least in a few states that already have legislation on the books, including New Jersey and Delaware. Connecticut, New York, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and West Virginia are hoping to pass sports betting-targeted legislation during this session.
“In the last couple of months, there’s been a lot of visiting and speculating on options,” says Ken Newbury, senior VP of operations at McCann Systems.
“We’ve been doing some design work to get ahead of the betting technology curve and we had one job in New Jersey that went green immediately after the [Supreme Court] announcement. It’s going to be wild how quickly things happen.
“It’s going to be fun to watch Atlantic City. It could be the beginning of the rebirth of that city. This ruling opens a market we already feel we’re strong in and allows us to work outside of Las Vegas. It breeds new competition as well,” he says.
How Quickly Will Sports Betting Spread?
Newbury expects the adoption of casino gambling laws to be similar to the state-by-state laws related to marijuana. He also cautions those who expect the U.S. to become awash in neon now that the Supreme Court allows casino gambling to lower their expectations.
“The reality is not everything is a big job,” he says. “You’re talking about everything from a 200-square-foot kiosk to a 300,000-square-foot casino and everything in between.” Newbury expects McCann’s revenue from casino projects to grow about 5 percent this year, with some spots targeting the 2018 NFL season in September to open their betting operations.
That could mean a busy summer for McCann Systems and other integrators hoping to quickly capitalize on the new legislation. The other prime target, says Newbury, is March Madness, which means the AV work starts in December to be ready for NCAA tournament time.
Read the entire article online HERE
CLICK HERE to see McCann Systems’ portfolio of Casino Projects
