In Oregon, online gambling fans now have access to a unique site, Luckii.com. This new site is an online historic horse racing (HHR) offering, providing players with casino-style games online. ELS Gaming is a racetrack owner in Arizona and Virginia that operates the new site.
What is HHR?
When you visit the Luckii site, it looks like an online casino that offers slot games. However, that is not quite the case. The games offered at Luckii provide outcomes based on historic horse race outcomes. Players can choose to start spinning the reels right away or they can use the resources of the provider to study handicapping data.
Bets start at a low $0.20, so players of all bankrolls can take part. Already, the site has been quite successful, with more than $2 million bets placed during its soft launch. The site had to be tested thoroughly, so it has been in the soft-launch period for two months.
The HHR site may be different from traditional online casinos, but it is a legal form of gambling. The Oregon Racing Commission provided licensing for the site and it is listed as an Advanced Deposit Wagering platform. A portion of the revenues generated go to the horse racing industry in Oregon.
It has been a long road for ELS as they looked to get in on the iGaming action. Back in 2018, the company teamed up with Exacta Systems to create games based on the rules of the pari-mutuel industry. The goal was to provide more revenues to the racing industry and increase the participation of racing fans so that the industry would have a strong foundation once again.
Oregon is only the first state that Luckii will offer services in. The brand plans to expand to other areas in the future and offer its services in new markets.
ELS Gaming Wants to Help Horse Racing
Decades ago, horse racing was a booming business. Fans of gambling would hit the race tracks all the time and place bets on their favorite horses. However, over the years, entertainment has changed, and consumers are not as invested.
Stakeholders in the horse racing industry want to ensure that the industry can survive, including ELS Gaming. The company wants to do all it can to keep the racing industry afloat. The company has the option to buy Arizona Downs, a racetrack that has not provided services in at least 10 years. ELS wants to buy the property and invest around $300 million.
ELS is known for tackling horse racing investments. The company took on Colonial Downs in Virginia and invested quite a lot to get the property back on track. They created over 4,000 jobs in the state and provided $44 million in new taxes. During the first six months of racing at the venue after ELS took over, the property brought in over $1 billion in the betting handle.
The property now includes 3000 historical horse racing terminals and these machines have been beneficial in the revitalization process. The company does not have the ability to launch iGaming services at this time in Virginia, but it is most likely one of the states the company is looking into.
