After success in Ontario, BetMGM has launched Blueprint Gaming’s ‘Game of Thrones‘-branded online slot in Alberta’s iGaming market.
The operator obtained exclusive rights for Canadian distribution of the game, which was developed by Merkur Gaming-owned Blueprint in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, after partnering with the supplier in April.
The ‘Game of Thrones’ slot allows players to unlock sigils representing Houses Baratheon, Lannister, Stark, and Targaryen, each of which offers different gameplay modifiers.
BetMGM said the rollout in Ontario yielded record-breaking engagement and performance metrics for its casino platform and noted that Eilers & Krejcik Gaming ranked the title as Canada’s fifth-best-performing online casino game launch.
The extension into Alberta was made possible after BetMGM and Blueprint Gaming obtained iGaming operator and supplier licenses, respectively, from Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC). BetMGM was one of around 15 operators to start taking bets right from day one in the province’s new regulated iGaming market on July 13.
CEO Adam Greenblatt said on a BetMGM earnings call last week that a U.S. rollout of ‘Game of Thrones’ slot content is planned for later this year.
Around 70% of the operator’s gaming revenue across all markets comes from iCasino. As well as ‘Game of Thrones’, the operator’s casino platform boasts games based on intellectual property rights of numerous popular TV shows, movies, and cultural figures, including:
- Elvis Presley
- ‘Family Feud‘ and ‘The Price is Right‘
- ‘Friends‘
- Marilyn Monroe
- ‘Survivor‘
- ‘Wheel of Fortune‘
- ‘The Wizard of Oz‘
BetMGM extends Marriott Bonvoy rewards into Alberta
Meanwhile, BetMGM also announced this week that it and Marriott Bonvoy have expanded their joint rewards partnership into Alberta.
Players in the province can link their accounts between the two companies and exchange gaming points for hotel loyalty rewards in BetMGM’s in-app rewards store. The connected program is already available in Ontario after debuting in the U.S. in 2024.
“Our partnership with Marriott Bonvoy continues to be a powerful differentiator and is one of the most rewarding loyalty offerings in our industry,” said Greenblatt in a statement. “By extending this program, we’re providing Albertans the opportunity to be part of a world-class loyalty program with tremendous flexibility on points redemption. It’s another way we deliver unique value that players cannot find anywhere else.”
BetMGM parent company MGM Resorts International has a strategic partnership called MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy, which allows users to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points at participating MGM resorts like the Bellagio, ARIA, and MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Incidentally, Greenblatt said last week that almost 10% of BetMGM’s new users in Alberta in the first few weeks of that province’s iGaming market have an existing relationship with the MGM brand. MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle added that around 1,000 of the first 8,500 deposits recorded in Alberta had prior relationships with MGM.
