Wind Creek Hospitality Applies for Sports Wagering License in Pennsylvania

Wind Creek Bethlehem, closed since March 15, has submitted its application for a sports wagering license to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s uncertain when American sports will return, and when bettors will have games on which to cast wagers.

As for sports betting trends nationwide, people are casting bets on some pretty unusual games such as chess, judo, sumo and Russian ping pong. Experts anticipate the first sports to see back: NASCAR, golf and mixed martial arts.

When the time comes for America’s favorite sports like football and basketball to resume, Wind Creek Hospitality, the business arm of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, will be ready. The move will hopefully offset its substantial revenue losses (the greatest drop experienced among all 12 casinos in Pennsylvania).

The Tribe’s Wind Creek Bethlehem, closed since March 15, has submitted its application to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board seeking a sports wagering certificate.

While in January Wind Creek Hospitality announced its deal with Betfred to open a sportsbook, the recent move signifies the casino’s first official step toward offering sports betting in Pennsylvania. Betfred is slated to offer Wind Creek Bethlehem customers their full sportsbook service at the brick-and-mortar casino as well as mobile and internet betting within the state of Pennsylvania.

The Poarch Band Creek started gaming operations in Alabama, the Tribe’s home state, about a decade ago. Its Wind Creek Hospitality division has been expanding ever since, with Wind Creek Bethlehem its largest acquisition yet. Wind Creek Hospitality closed on a deal to buy the casino resort, previously known as the Bethlehem Sands, for $1.3 billion from Las Vegas Sands Corporation on May 30, 2019.

In a year-over-year comparison, Wind Creek Bethlehem’s losses in March were the highest among casinos in Pennsylvania, dropping from $51 million in 2019 to $15 million in 2020 — a 71% decline. But that’s probably a less meaningful statistic than the April number — every casino in the country is seeing a 100% loss of on-premises gaming revenue, as nearly all are currently shuttered. (Coeur d’Alene Casino in Idaho and the Hannahville Indian Community’s Island Resort & Casino in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan have partially opened.)

While Pennsylvania offered casinos in the state to defer their first quarter payments, despite its major revenue losses, Wind Creek Hospitality paid its $2.5 million host fee to the city of Bethlehem anyway. Wind Creek additionally pledged to continue paying its employees through May 31.