Las Vegas Sands Invests In U.S. Integrity

Posted on: April 20, 2022, 08:22h. 

Last updated on: April 20, 2022, 01:31h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) is taking a stake in U.S. Integrity — a provider of data analytics and technology used to identify unscrupulous betting behavior, including match-fixing and other forms of game manipulation.

US Integrity
U.S. Integrity CEO Matthew Hold., seen in an updated photo above. The company landed an investment from Las Vegas Sands. (Image: PR Web)

Financial terms of the investment weren’t disclosed. Las Vegas-based U.S. Integrity also counts SeventySix Capital and the New York Angels among its investors.

The strategic investment from Sands will help us expand our capabilities and develop new innovative products and services to bring transparency and peace of mind to our growing list of clients,” said CEO Matthew Holt in a statement.

U.S. Integrity clients include college conferences and individual teams, professional leagues and sportsbook operators. Specific names on the company’s client roster include Monarch Casino Black Hawk, William Hill, the NBA, the Big12, the PAC12, and the SEC, among others.

Departure From Usual Sands Investment

LVS is synonymous with land-based casinos in Macau and Singapore and pioneering the meetings, incentives, convention and exhibition (MICE) integrated resort concept.

However, the operator largely sat out the initial boom in online gaming and sports wagering. The late Sheldon Adelson served as chairman and chief executive officer of Sands until his passing in January 2021, and he was opposed to iGaming.

While the company currently isn’t directly involved in online casinos, it created an investment arm aimed at identifying digital opportunities last July. The Las Vegas-based company aims to be a “strategic investor” in digital gaming on the businesses-to-business side of the industry.

The investment in U.S. Integrity jibes with Sands’ pragmatic approach to digital gaming to date. LVS said in March it took a stake in video game maker Fortis.

Match-Fixing Prevention Is Lucrative Opportunity

Smart bettors know that they aren’t going to win all of their sports wagers. But they want to know that they’re on a level playing field, making integrity paramount. Unfortunately, match-fixing rears its ugly head on occasion, and gaming companies are motivated to prevent it from happening.

As for U.S. Integrity, it plans to use capital from the Las Vegas Sands to continue developing a technology stack that’s relevant to gaming companies, leagues, and teams looking to quash game manipulation.

“The platform is designed to identify potentially problematic bets closer to real time to ensure the integrity of sports globally. U.S. Integrity will provide their next generation platform to teams, leagues, bookmakers and regulators to enable proactive intervention,” according to the company.

Other U.S. Integrity clients include Amelco, Betfred, Colorado University, Virginia Tech and the West Coast Conference (WCC).