An Australian online sports betting operator has made its U.S. debut in Colorado.
PlayUp, the largest vendor of daily fantasy sports in Australia, announced Tuesday that it was granted a sports betting license in Colorado through a market access agreement with the Bull Durham Casino in Blackhawk. PlayUp’s app and web-based sports betting platform debuted last week.
“It’s exciting for us to be able to expose our customers to sports betting and give them a great option via the PlayUp app,” said Doug James, general manager of Bull Durham, in a statement. “The early handle numbers being reported by the (Colorado) Division of Gaming are a real testament to how much interest there is for sports betting in this state.”
In 2020 Colorado bettors placed nearly $1.2 billion in sports bets. In January 2021, the state set a monthly record of $326 million in sports bets, with 98% of those wagers done online.
PlayUp’s U.S. CEO, Dr. Laila Mintas, said in a statement that the company will use bonuses and other promotional incentives to attract bettors.
“We are trying to focus on the events each month which have the largest audiences and reward the casual bettor with more value,” she said.
Mintas added that all new players will get a 200% bonus on first bets, whether they win or lose. All new registered users also will get a free $20 bet.
PlayUp holds betting licenses in multiple jurisdictions and operates in Australia, New Zealand, and India. In addition to team and individual sports, the company offers betting on thoroughbred and harnessing racing in Australia, and offers wagers at international and a few U.S. racetracks, including Remington Park in Oklahoma and Turf Paradise in Arizona.
