Parties keep price private

Nevada-based Boyd Gaming has acquired Atlantic City’s Resorts Casino Hotel’s digital gambling arm for a fee neither firm wishes to disclose.

completed the deal for Resorts Digital on September 1

Resorts President Mark Giannantonio stated the two parties completed the deal for Resorts Digital on September 1.

The Nevada casino operator’s new acquisition will fall under its digital subsidiary Boyd Interactive. As such, Boyd’s portfolio will now include Resorts Digital’s iGaming brands ResortsCasino.com and MoheganSunCasino.com, plus “one unused sports betting skin, or online identity.”

Instead of rebranding the above sites, Giannantonio stated, Boyd’s white label purchase strategy allows the Resorts Digital brands to retain their identity, while continuing to operate under Resort’s New Jersey iGaming gambling licenses.

Tag team tactics

As part of the deal, reports The Independent, Boyd and Resorts will cross-promote one another. Via its new ResortsCasino.com purchase, Boyd will promote Resorts Casino Hotel to its online customers. The Atlantic City firm meanwhile, will market Boyd-owned digital brands to customers who physically frequent the Resorts Casino property. 

Resorts Casino gets to keep its relationship with established iGaming partners that include DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Penn Gaming, and PokerStars.

Giannantonio stated the cross marketing strategy “will benefit both companies in the long term.” 

In purchasing Resorts Digital, Boyd has acquired its new partner’s star performer. Over the first eight months of 2024, Resorts Digital won more than $573m. According to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the physical Resorts casino made only $109m over the same time period.

Giannantonio stated his firm believed the deal will boost the success of its iGaming arm “to a new level through the scale of Boyd Interactive and its market-leading platform.”

iGaming strategy

Boyd used to own 50% of Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino before selling its stake to MGM Resorts International. In opting to buy digital rather than retail assets, the Resorts deal continues the Nevada operator’s strategy “of building a profitable regional iGaming business integrated with our existing nationwide portfolio.”

long been one of the nation’s leading iGaming states”

In a statement following the acquisition, Boyd said it expects the Resorts purchase to boost its growth in New Jersey. Boyd added New Jersey “has long been one of the nation’s leading iGaming states” and that it looks forward to growing Boyd Interactive via the state’s online gaming market.