As the state waits on New York sports betting license selection before or on Dec. 6, a sports technology company is looking at possibilities to join the fray and take a whole new approach.
Toronto-based Elys Game Technology and the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) announced Tuesday they entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that would express a joint interest in promoting and facilitating opportunities for food and beverage locations to participate in the state’s sports betting industry.
Elys and NYSRA will work together to develop and establish policies and procedures to advance sports wagering-related opportunities for food and beverage establishments. Those New York gaming options would include, but not be limited to, joint advocacy on the benefits and security of offering leisure betting entertainment within small business venues.
“We are delighted to work with the NYSRA to advance a strong, coordinated effort that could effectively permit restaurant industry operators to offer sports betting in a vibrant and exciting environment where friends and family often gather to watch and enjoy a wide range of sports events,” Elys executive chairman Michele Ciavarella said. “Together with our partner Grand Central Restaurant and Bar, Elys has successfully obtained the first Class B and Management Service Provider licenses in Washington D.C. We expect to open at Grand Central in early October 2021 and believe that this will be the first restaurant to be licensed to offer sports betting in North America and a showcase for the U.S. sports betting market in the future.”
The NYSRA, the official voice of the restaurant industry in New York state, is a not-for-profit trade association for New York restaurants, working to further the business interests of restaurant owners and to provide valuable support services to its members.
“Our long-standing experience with this business model in Italy, our first-mover efforts in Washington D.C., and our partnership with the NYSRA are aimed at getting restaurant and bar owners the opportunity to offer legal sports betting in their establishments and to quickly become operational,” Ciavarella said. “Additionally, this model could drive a potential ancillary revenue center alongside food and beverages for their businesses, as well as generating significant tax resources for the State of New York and other states across the nation going forward. We strongly believe that the low setup cost of our highly scalable Elys retail and mobile on-premise platform is a win-win for small businesses and could lend a major boost to a key industry that makes up the core of the New York vibe.”
Elys Game Technology Operates Worldwide
Elys Game Technology, Corp., is a B2B global gaming technology company operating in multiple countries worldwide, with B2C online and land-based gaming operations in Italy. In Italy, Elys offers its clients a full suite of leisure gaming products and services, such as sports betting, e-sports, virtual sports, NY online casinos, bingo, NY online poker, interactive games and NY online slots.
“The New York State Restaurant Association is excited to be working with Elys Game Technology to bring sports betting to the restaurant industry here in New York,” NYSRA CEO and president Melissa Fleischut said. “Our bars and restaurants have been devastated over the last 18 months and are in desperate need of additional revenue streams. Elys Game Technology is experienced in bringing premier sports betting to bars and restaurants all around the world and has shown how beneficial this can be to the bottom line of many.”
