New York Jets fans living in New Jersey are in for a treat next Thursday, assuming they also like to play live dealer blackjack and have accounts at BetMGM Casino. On September 5, BetMGM is holding a special one-off live dealer event in which NFL stars Wayne Chrebet and Tony Richardson will host an Infinite Blackjack table and interact with players.
BetMGM’s celebrity blackjack event, known as Kickoff With The Stars, will run from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Evolution, the foremost live dealer supplier in the US, will power the event. Its Infinite Blackjack is a special format that allows virtually any number of players to take a seat at the same table. This is necessary for this sort of event so that every interested player has a chance to interact with their football heroes.
BetMGM’s Vice President of Gaming Product & Content, Oliver Bartlett, said:
By bringing together the star power of Jets legends Wayne Chrebet and Tony Richardson with the thrill of live dealer blackjack, BetMGM is creating an exciting event to celebrate the start of the NFL season. This showcases our live dealer offering and commitment to delivering new and entertaining experiences for our players.
Chrebet played as a wide receiver for the Jets for 11 seasons from 1995 to 2005 and received the team’s Ring of Honor for his achievements. Richardson was a fullback who moved around more in his career but played for the Jets in his final three seasons from 2008 to 201.
Modern Technology Makes Celebrity Events Possible
These sorts of interactive celebrity moments are a relatively new way for online casinos to add value for players.
FanDuel Casino hosted a similar event in May with New England Patriots tight end Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski. That event also took place in New Jersey and used Evolution’s studio as the venue.
Live dealer gaming is a high-tech affair, requiring low-latency streaming and exceptional reliability. In the US, Evolution has been at it longer than anyone and, so far, has been the only studio to host celebrity events. However, it’s probably only a matter of time before its competitors, Playtech and Light & Wonder, consider following suit. As the competition between the three companies intensifies, there’s more pressure than ever to find ways to differentiate their products, be that with bespoke tables, unique game formats or special one-off events like Kickoff With The Stars.
Evolution also recently bought Livespins, a company whose “bet behind” slots streaming product is designed specifically for the US market. Although it hasn’t been deployed yet, the goal of that technology is to allow casinos to host these kinds of celebrity events, but for slots players rather than table game aficionados. A streamer or celebrity guest will play slots on stream while fans get to wager on the outcome of their spins, winning together when the celebrity does.
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