Bet365 and Playtech launch live casino studios in Pennsylvania and New Jersey
Bet365 and Playtech have launched live casino studios in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, expanding their joint footprint in the regulated US market.
The studios, now live in both states, feature a total of 10 live tables, which include roulette, baccarat, and blackjack, all branded and operated exclusively for Bet365 players in each jurisdiction.
Playtech Chief Interactive Gaming Officer Marat Koss said, “We are thrilled to continue to support Bet365’s strategic growth objectives by creating new and engaging content for their customers. Our partnership has produced significant achievements across multiple markets, including in the US, which remains a focal point in Playtech’s wider growth plans.”
The rollout marked Bet365’s first dedicated live dealer tables in the US, and the studios were developed using Playtech’s customized live casino infrastructure, designed to support operator-led expansion strategies within regulated markets.
Bet365 Chief Executive and Head of Gaming Thomas Griffiths added, “We are thrilled to build on our valued partnership with Playtech and deliver more unique and engaging gaming experiences to our customers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.”
Earlier this week, Bet365 announced it had partnered with online casino games developer Incentive Games to launch its game titles worldwide, including in the US states.
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The Backstory
A push for dedicated live tables
Bet365’s move to open branded live casino studios with Playtech in Pennsylvania and New Jersey lands at the intersection of scale, speed and control in the fast-evolving U.S. iGaming market. Dedicated tables give operators tighter grip on presentation, game pacing and promotions, while reducing reliance on shared network rooms that can blunt brand identity. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where live dealer has become a core retention tool, the shift signals that operators now see proprietary live environments as a necessary investment rather than a nice-to-have.
The timing reflects two converging pressures. First, live casino has matured from a novelty to a default expectation in regulated states, which raises the bar on differentiation. Second, content variety is widening beyond classic blackjack and roulette into game shows, social formats and scheduled programming. That increases the value of a studio backbone that can be customized for marketing calendars, cross-sell and localized offers. Put simply, live dealer is no longer a product line item. It is a programming grid.
For Playtech, the studios underscore its strategy to embed with major brands as an infrastructure partner that can scale across markets. For Bet365, the build-out widens control over table supply and branding in two of the most competitive U.S. casino states. The result is a play for session depth and loyalty in a channel that already carries some of the industry’s strongest engagement metrics.
Bet365’s split-supplier strategy
The studios also fit a broader pattern: operators are leaning into multi-vendor mixes to balance innovation cadence, risk and negotiating leverage. That is evident in Bet365’s parallel partnership with Evolution in New Jersey, where the operator added the supplier’s portfolio of live dealer titles from Crazy Time and Dream Catcher to craps, baccarat and multiple blackjack variants. The rollout, described by Evolution as “a monumental achievement,” brought the provider’s game shows and signature table experiences directly into Bet365’s casino lobby. Read more on the arrangement in Evolution goes live in New Jersey with Bet365.
The dual track gives Bet365 two levers. It can feature Evolution’s high-profile game shows that have defined the category in Europe while using Playtech’s customized studio stack to create branded, controllable experiences that map to U.S. promotional calendars. In a state like New Jersey, where content refresh and brand distinction drive share, this hedged approach reduces single-supplier dependency and allows faster iteration. It also keeps pressure on both suppliers to deliver exclusive formats, studio capacity and tooling for segmentation, which benefits the operator.
The strategy may also help Bet365 regionalize content cadence as more states contemplate iCasino. Building proprietary live capacity now in Pennsylvania and New Jersey creates a template that can be replicated when new markets open, subject to local studio and licensing requirements.
Playtech’s U.S. content playbook expands
Playtech’s role in the U.S. live casino push extends beyond classic pit games. The company has leaned into interactive, broadcast-style experiences designed to create appointment viewing and social engagement. In New Jersey, Hard Rock Digital introduced a customized, host-led show through Playtech’s platform that blends quizzes with prize mechanics, aiming to build habit through scheduled events. The initiative, which reflects a shift toward “calendared entertainment,” is detailed in Hard Rock Digital launches Playtech live trivia experience in New Jersey.
The trivia format is a signal of where live products are heading: toward programming that bridges casino and broader digital entertainment. It targets players conditioned by streaming and social video, not just traditional table fans. That complements Playtech’s table infrastructure by opening more reasons to enter the live lobby, which can lift cross-play into blackjack and roulette during or after events.
Outside the U.S., Playtech has also been consolidating its platform credentials in adjacent verticals. Its recent move to become the exclusive bingo supplier to SkillOnNet in Mexico and the UK, aided by a migration to a next-gen iBingo platform, underscores the company’s multi-vertical network strategy and liquidity tooling. While the deal serves different markets, the underlying platform investment and engagement features matter to U.S. operators that prize stability, scale and cross-product promotion. Details are in Playtech becomes exclusive bingo supplier to SkillOnNet in Mexico.
Rivalry shaping the live dealer market
The live casino race is also playing out against a contentious legal backdrop. Playtech has rejected allegations from Evolution that it orchestrated a smear campaign tied to a 2021 report produced by Black Cube, a private intelligence firm. A New Jersey court found the report false and designed to harm Evolution, but Playtech says the investigation addressed sector-wide concerns about compliance and that it welcomes judicial scrutiny of the findings. The dispute, which could extend into 2026, adds friction between two of the largest live casino suppliers competing for U.S. operator share. A fuller account appears in Playtech rejects Evolution’s ‘smear campaign’ allegation.
For operators, the rivalry has practical implications. It can accelerate feature rollouts, custom studio availability and commercial terms as suppliers vie for footprint. It can also introduce reputational risk if legal claims spill into regulatory conversations. Bet365’s use of multiple partners offers a buffer. It spreads exposure and keeps innovation channels open, especially as state regulators and lawmakers scrutinize how live dealer content is produced and distributed.
Omnichannel and new formats raise the stakes
The competitive context reaches beyond live streaming booths. Content providers are pushing into omnichannel distribution that blurs the line between online and retail casino floors. White Hat Studios’ distribution agreement with Gaming Arts gives the online supplier its first pathway into U.S. land-based venues, while moving select Gaming Arts titles online. The two-way flow suggests future content strategies will be designed for cross-environment recognition, loyalty tie-ins and data-driven sequencing. More on the partnership is in White Hat Studios’ deal with Gaming Arts opens U.S. casino opportunities.
That trend matters for live dealer. Dedicated studios can become anchors for omnichannel campaigns tied to on-property events, hospitality partners or televised sports windows. Trivia shows, branded tables and exclusive drops can be promoted on the casino floor and redeemed online, or vice versa, to compound engagement. As U.S. operators seek profitable growth, these cross-channel loops are likely to become central to retention playbooks.
What to watch next
The next phase will test whether dedicated live studios can materially expand share in New Jersey and Pennsylvania or simply preserve it. Bet365’s mix of Playtech-branded tables and Evolution game shows positions the operator to capture both classic table demand and new-format curiosity. The key metrics will be session length, cross-play into adjacent verticals and the cost efficiency of studio capacity over time.
For suppliers, differentiation will hinge on tooling as much as content. Customization, segmentation, scheduled programming and low-latency streaming will decide which platforms win long-term studio commitments. Legal tensions between major providers could shape commercial dynamics but are unlikely to slow deployment unless regulatory concerns emerge. Meanwhile, omnichannel experiments and network upgrades outside the U.S. will continue to inform how American operators program their live lobbies.
The through line: live dealer has become a programming business. The companies that treat it that way — investing in branded environments, social formats and cross-channel hooks — are setting the pace as regulated iCasino inches forward state by state.
