Kindred Group Continues US Expansion in Washington State and New Jersey

Article ByDavid Weir

April 20, 2023

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Posted in: US Gambling News, New Jersey Gambling News, US Sports Betting News, Washington State Gambling News

The US division of Sweden-based Kindred Group has ramped up its US operations this week.

It launched the first Kindred Group sportsbook location in Washington state on April 20. The Unibet- branded area is now open at The Swinomish Casino and Lodge in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Reservation. It features Unibet branding on kiosks, and a custom service counter.

The Group also gained New Jersey approval and licensing for an improved and proprietary sportsbook platform. The Unibet brand will see a series of enhancements and upgrades to its sportsbook program in New Jersey under the new deal, and now looks to roll out a similar project in Pennsylvania.

The news comes despite Kindred Group admitted “disappointing” 2022 that saw it end its operations in the Ohio sports betting market.

Related: The best online casinos in New Jersey

Immersive Experience

The new Unibet area at the Swinomish Casino will, in due course, have a full sportsbook lounge included. This will have full Unibet branding and seating areas, live sports displays, and more.

It is Kindred Group’s 13^th retail sportsbook location in the US. Washington is now on the list alongside locations in Pennsylvania and Arizona.

The deal, which will see Unibet host its sportsbook for at least six years, was first signed back in October 22.

“We are delighted to launch the first phase of our exciting retail partnership with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community,” said Kindred Group North America Senior Vice President Manuel Stan.

“Work continues at pace to build a fantastic Unibet sportsbook lounge, offering customers to the Swinomish Casino & Lodge a truly immersive sports betting experience.”

True Products

The New Jersey deal, on the other hand, is only an expansion on an existing market. Unibet got in on that very early as well.

New Jersey was the initial state that ushered in the new era of legal US sports betting in 2018. Unibet then opened an online sportsbook there in 2019.

This new expansion of its offering will include more data points and analytics, and more market and betting options for customers.

“I am very pleased that we are now able to launch our own Kindred platform in New Jersey, and I am immensely proud of everybody at Kindred who has made this possible.” said CEO Henrik Tjärnström in a company statement.

“Introducing the Kindred platform to our customers in New Jersey will provide the entertainment and experience enjoyed by our customers in Europe. We are now finally able to show off our true Unibet product,” he added.

Refocused Investments

New Jersey’s sports betting market is already worth $1 billion a month in total handle, so it’s no wonder Kindred wants to improve its representation.

Smaller or internationally focused operators are scrambling to keep up with DraftKings and FanDuel in 2023. The two market-leading operators are ahead of the pack nationally, sports betting-wise, as demonstrated by March’s sports betting handle figures in Massachusetts.

Last November, Unibet exited the online sportsbook market in Iowa. It had reported the 17^th-lowest revenues out of 18 online casino sportsbooks in the previous month.

“We have always been clear that we are looking at things on an ongoing basis. As we said before, we have refocused our investments from across all states in our footprint to more focus on the multiproduct states,” Tjärnström told Kindred investors earlier this year.

By multiproduct states, he means states that license both online sportsbooks and casino gaming. That category is currently only Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Michigan, West Virginia, and Nevada.