Churchill Downs has now confirmed it has partnered with two casinos for online poker in California once lawmakers legalize the game.
Earlier this year reports surfaced that the company had signed a deal with Crystal Casino in Los Angeles and Oceans 11 in Oceanside. A recent SEC filing has now confirmed this deal along with additional details on the partnership.
Churchill Downs to Provide Software for 10 Years
Churchill filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week that mentioned the partnership between the company and the two California casinos.
According to the filing Churchill Downs Interactive will develop and operate online poker software for the partner casinos for a period of 10 years that will commence from the time that the first bet is placed online.
Churchill Downs has expressed a strong interest in operating within the legal U.S. iGaming marketplace. However the slowdown of iGaming legislation in states such as California has prevented it from launching.
Could Churchill Downs Become a Race Track Online Poker Provider?
A major issue still under consideration by lawmakers is what role that the horse racing industry will play in iPoker. The race tracks want the right to fully participate while other stakeholders want to limit their involvement.
Should iPoker include state race tracks Churchill Downs Interactive could potentially become an iPoker provider. Such partnerships would be logical considering Churchill's history in the industry. Churchill could also offer player pool sharing with Oceans 11 and Crystal Casino as a selling point to race tracks, further increasing liquidity.
Current State of California iPoker Partnerships
At present six casinos have officially signed partnership agreements. Harrah's Resorts Southern California will likely use the WSOP.com platform, making seven casinos that we can safely say have locked up iPoker partners.
Here are the current companies that have signed iPoker partners in California.
- PokerStars - Bicycle Casino, Commerce Casino, Hawaiian Gardens Casino
- Churchill Downs Interactive - Oceans 11 Casino, Crystal Casino
- 888 Holdings - Bay 101 Casino, Harrah's Resort Southern CA (WSOP.com)