CrystalBetting Terminals Debut In Mississippi; Are These The Future Of Retail In-Play Betting?

IGT’s CrystalBetting Terminal recently made its debut at Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The unique luxury sports betting station was introduced last year at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E). Pearl River Resort is the first casino in the world to offer this kind of betting station.

What is a CrystalBetting terminal?

This isn’t a typical “carrel” that many casinos offer to horse racing bettors. The CrystalBetting Terminal has a 27-inch touchscreen monitor that shows both the games and live odds. There are different configurations for the screen to show more odds or more of the game. Unlike other carrels, this betting station accepts cash and prints tickets like a kiosk. It also allows wagers to be placed directly on the viewing screen, accepting both pre-game and in-play wagers. The CrystalBetting Terminal is the first betting station in casinos that allows bettors to place in-play wagers right on the screen showing the game. Most in-play wagers are placed on a mobile device while watching the game on another screen. In addition to having a 27-inch screen, each terminal is large. There’s plenty of space to do research while sitting at the betting station. Each terminal has enough space in front of the screen for in-play bettors who need to access live stats on a small laptop or tablet. There’s also a USB outlet to keep mobile devices fully charged. Each unit also has a headphone jack. This could come in handy if the sportsbook has audio for another game playing. Chances are good that in-play bettors aren’t all watching and wagering on the same game.

CrystalBetting Terminal field trial

Pearl River Resort is the only casino in the country to offer the CrystalBetting Terminal at this time. The unique sports betting station is currently undergoing a 90-day field trial at Pearl River Resort. IGT has already secured GLI Certification and Mississippi Choctaw Gaming Commission approval. To date, in-play wagering has been a small piece of the sports betting pie at Pearl River Resort. At G2E, Neal Atkinson, Director of Table Games, Sports Betting, Poker, and Bingo at Pearl River Resort, said in-play wagering only accounts for 11% of all sports bets at his property. The CrystalBetting terminals should help boost the number of in-play wagers at the casino.