Gaming1, Ardent Group’s game of chance and sports betting branch, is developing their brand Gamewise in partnership with Delaware North, one of the most innovative American game operators and a world-class actor in gastronomy and hospitality. A major success for the company, which is delighted, at the same time, to be positively contributing to the economic redeployment of Wallonia.
It is with great pride that the Liège-based group Ardent announces the creation of a joint venture partnership, named Gamewise, between their technology company Gaming1, a major actor in games of chance and sports betting on a national and international scale, specializing in the development of online game platforms and Delaware North, one of the biggest private hospitality and entertainment companies in the world.
Gamewise will use Gaming1’s exclusive casino and sports betting platform for the activities of Delaware North’s online gaming brand Betly in the regulated states where the American company operate land-based casinos and hippodromes.
Gamewise’s main objective is to diversify the North-American gaming market by offering a complete ready-to-use solution to regional casino operators, so they can invest in their own brand by growing their business within the flourishing online sports betting and gaming sector, with little impact on their main activities.
This new partnership with Delaware North – a world leader in gastronomy and the hotel trade that serves millions of clients annually in the sports sector (in Wembley Stadium, during the Super Bowl or Australian Open), hospitality, travel, restaurants, accommodation, gaming and specialty retail – is far from Gaming1’s first joint venture. However, it does mark a new stage in the success of Ardent group’s digital center.
Emmanuel Mewissen, CEO, Board Member and co-founder of Ardent Group, spoke about this new partnership: “The arrival of our company on the North-American market is an achievement in itself. In light of such a rise, we can only congratulate ourselves on launching our digital cell in 2011. Ten years later, we are proud to say we are at the origin of a ‘Made in Wallonia’ digital technology known for serving several international entities.
The Delaware North group isn’t just any actor in entertainment. This partnership is a sign of great things to come for our digital center and allows us, at the same time, to solidify an ambition at the core of our company: actively and positively contribute to our country’s economy.
In 2020, our growth created 150 new jobs on the Belgian labor market. Our arrival on the United States market, and the possibilities for growth that come with it, make us think this is just the beginning. However, we do not intend to leave the region that saw us grow and we will keep our expertise center in Liège, where our company’s roots are. We have just invested in our new offices in the Liège Office Center opposite the Guillemins train station.”
Gaming1, Ardent Group’s entertainment branch, has a rich history of collaborating with land-based game operators in regulated markets to create unique omnichannel game experiences. The company is a leader on the Belgian market with their brand Circus. They operate 42 gaming halls and casino complexes in Belgium (including the Grand Casino de Namur and the Casino de Spa), in France and in Switzerland. They manage a portfolio of more than 20 online gaming brands with land-based partners on the regulated markets in Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, France, Serbia, Peru and Colombia.
Alongside Gaming1, Ardent Group also plays the role, through their company Ardent Invest, as a sparring partner for more than 35 Belgian and international companies grouped into 6 industries in Belgium and around the world: Real Estate, Food & Beverages, Media & Marketing, Energy, Hotel and Impact Investment. All together, Ardent Group has around 1,500 employees, half of which live in Belgium.