Smarkets US Sports Betting App Will Launch in Indiana and Include Social Interaction Options Among Bettors

Posted on: September 8, 2019, 06:14h. 

Last updated on: September 8, 2019, 09:59h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

English-based sports betting exchange Smarkets has announced its entry into the US market and has landed its first partnership. The company will provide its recently developed SBK online sportsbook to Full House Resorts, serving as a mobile skin for Full House’s casinos in Colorado and Indiana.

Smarkets CEO & Founder Jason Trost announced his company’s SBK mobile sports betting app will launch in Indiana and Colorado thanks to a partnership agreement with Full House Resorts. (Image: Will Ireland/Smarkets)

Smarkets CEO & Founder Jason Trost said in a statement that he was happy to bring his sports betting product to his native country.

“I truly believe that an agile company like ours can make a huge impact against some of the bigger players thanks to our superior technology and focus on providing the best prices,” he said.

The company plans to make its online application available in Indiana in late 2019, which would make it ready in time for the NFL playoffs. Unlike some online sportsbooks, SBK will only be accessible through an app on Android and Apple devices. There will not be a desktop version, Mark Miscavage, Smarkets vice president of software engineering, told Casino.org.

Social Networking Available

Alex Stolyar, the senior vice president and chief development officer for Full House Resorts, said in the release announcing the partnership that one of the innovations SBK is bringing to the online sports betting world is social media interaction.

As Miscavage described it, when a bettor makes a wager, they will have the option of sharing the bet with the entire SBK network, their friends within the network, or with no one.

You can also just share tips on an event,” Miscavage said. “We kind of weigh it heavier if you place a bet and share it. It’s effectively putting your money where your mouth is.”

Those who can see the shared bet can then react by placing a comment. They also will be able to take a look at the bettor’s track record. That information, Miscavage said, will help others decide if they want to follow that bettor’s lead and make the same or similar bet.

“I’m a bettor. I’m aware of tout services and stuff like that,” he said. “I want to keep people honest. So, if you’re going to tout inside our app, then everyone can go to your profile and see what your win-and-loss record is. See what your last five bets, win-loss, are.

“They can’t see your overall profits necessarily, because we have to keep some modicum of security and privacy. But like I said, you can prove that you’re right most of the time.”

Indiana, Colorado, and… ?

In Indiana, the app will serve as one of the mobile sports betting skins for the Rising Star Casino Resort in Rising Sun. The Hoosier State passed an expanded gaming law earlier this year that legalized sports wagering. Brick-and-mortar sportsbooks began opening there this month.

In Colorado, Full House owns Bronco Billy’s Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek, about 45 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. Like at Rising Star, SBK would serve as one of Bronco Billy’s skins.

However, unlike Indiana, sports betting is not yet legal in Colorado. Voters must approve a referendum this November in order for that to happen.

Miscavage said Smarkets has “potentially… some irons in the fire,” but declined to elaborate on the company’s growth plans in the US, including where else they may open and with whom they may partner.