Second partner signs on for Hall of Fame Resort sports betting business
CANTON – An international sports betting company will be the official partner of Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Co. to provide online betting services.
Genesis Global Ltd., a mobile-first global gaming operator, has entered a 10-year agreement with Hall of Fame Resort to be the company's official mobile sports-betting partner.
More: HOF Village partners with Rush Street Interactive for sports betting operation
New Partner: Hall of Fame Resort will partner with Genesis Global to offer mobile sports betting.
Sports betting is one of the business units for Hall of Fame Resort, which is developing the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls. The village is under construction and will be a campus wrapped around the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The agreement, announced Thursday, has a sponsorship component that includes support of the Hall of Fantasy League, a fantasy football league created by Hall of Fame Resort. The partners also will have opportunities for cross-marketing, branding and direct contact with consumers.
Gambling on sports betting
Hall of Fame Resort now has two partners involved with sports betting in the Hall of Fame Village project.
In December, Hall of Fame Resort announced a partnership with Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive to "operate a premier retail sportsbook" at the Hall of Fame Village complex. Plans are for Rush Street to use a space in the retail area being developed at the village.
The partnership with Rush Street was announced the day after Gov. Mike DeWine signed the state's new sports betting bill.
Genesis is based in Malta, an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea. According to Thursday's announcement, Genesis is "a rapidly growing, worldwide iGaming and sports-betting operator." The company generates 78% of its revenue from mobile sports betting, the release stated.
Projected to grow
Ariel Reem, Genesis chief executive officer, said his company sees the partnership with Hall of Fame Village as an "exciting opportunity" that reflects its "approach to innovation, collaboration and commitment to growth in the U.S.”
Michael Crawford, Hall of Fame Resort president and CEO, said the company is excited about the possibilities of legalized sports betting. The market is expected to grow by 40% to more than $39 billion by 2033.
Partnerships such as the one with Genesis help the company establish the infrastructure needed to benefit from the growth trend in sports betting, Crawford said.
Genesis operates in several geographic areas and is expanding in the United States, according to the release. The hope is that Genesis will use its technology to provide a mobile sports-betting platform with easy and remote access to mobile iGaming, which refers to any online game tied to betting, gambling or casinos.
Construction continues
Development of Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls started with construction of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and youth athletic fields. Work stalled for several years but picked up when Hall of Fame Resort formed in 2019.
As part of a $300 million second phase of construction, the Hall of Fame Resort built the Constellation Center for Excellence and completed work at the stadium. It also bought and renovated the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in downtown Canton.
Expansion of the sports playing fields and construction of a retail area — called the Fan Engagement Zone — is underway, while ground is being prepared for the Center of Performance.
The Fan Engagement Zone stretches north from the Constellation building toward the site for a future hotel and water park. Future tenants include a Don Shula's restaurant, a Helix Esports Center, which will be operated by Esports Entertainment Group, and a Topgolf Swing Suite that will be paired with craft brewery The Brew Kettle.
Construction of a Tapestry by Hilton hotel and water park are scheduled to begin later this year. The project is expected to be finished late in 2023.
A third construction phase, also estimated at $300 million, has been discussed.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Second partner added for Hall of Fame Resort sports betting business
