The agreement with the wings-and-sports-bar chain Buffalo Wild Wings means Betcris is now the sports-betting sponsor for BWWs’ outlets in Mexico.
It is already up and running in 10 BWW restaurants, with more to come.
The sportsbook already has a sponsorship agreement in Mexico with MLB, the NFL and the Mexican national soccer team.
Mobile betting on-premise
As part of the sponsorship Betcris will offer BWW customers online sports and casino bets. Players will be able to bet on the premises via their mobiles or tablets and collect winnings immediately.
Betcris said it was confident the project would provide positive exposure and generate strong revenues for its Mexico operation.
“Betcris is also using its leading position to ensure that the gaming industry is recognized as a successful commercial activity that operates within the legal and regulatory frameworks established in Latin American countries,” it added.
U.S. return for Betcris?
With Betcris now a well-established and regulated Latin American sportsbook, industry contacts have been asking whether it might consider a regulated return to the U.S.
It’s still early days. But if 5 Dimes can agree to hand over $46m in assets to the DoJ to enable it, in theory at least, to enter regulated markets, then operators like BetCRIS should not be discounted either.
In addition, Betcris is still the go-to site for U.S. lines. It handles the sharpest bettors in the market and is highly regarded by all the regulated U.S. books.
BetCRIS was one of the dominant online bookmakers in the U.S market in the early 2000s. It had a significant share of the offshore market and was highly active in advertising and marketing.
Corporate reputation
It was named as one of the offshore sites used by an illegal bookmaking operation in Florida in 2013.
But chief executive JD Duarte maintains his company has not accepted bets from U.S. players since 2007.
Wedge News last spoke with Betcris in January and at the time it said it had no plans to attempt a re-entry into U.S. regulated states.
Nonetheless, partnerships like those it has in Mexico show that it can handle international sponsorships with major sports leagues.
They are also very useful when it comes to corporate reputation and visibility. They associate the brand with high profile U.S. products that will only work with regulated entities.
All those factors mean seeing Betcris operate in the U.S. should not be discounted.
