When it comes to BetAmerica and TwinSpires, if you know one, you know the other. Up until PASPA was overturned on May 14, 2018, BetAmerica was known around the country as a place to bet on horse racing. TwinSpires has always had primary focus on the ponies, both as a place to make bets and a place to research the horses.
During the first half of 2021, BetAmerica Sportsbook will become TwinSpires Sportsbook. Both entities are owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated, so this isn’t a takeover or a merger. It is simple a rebranding of the BetAmerica name.
With so many sports betting operators out there, brand synchronicity is a really big deal. We’ve seen the same with BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Now we’re seeing the same with BetAmerica and TwinSpires.
In the official press release regarding the announcement, Ian Williams, the President of Online Gaming for Churchill Downs Incorporated, addressed that concept. “Pursuing a single brand strategy allows us to maintain focus on integrating our horse racing wagering platform alongside our sports betting and iGaming business, which will provide our players with the ultimate online and mobile betting experience.”
Branding is extremely important these days and Churchill Downs Inc. must feel as though the TwinSpires name will carry more weight in the business. It certainly does differentiate the brand from some of the other names that are out there.
For those that have BetAmerica accounts, everything will carry over to the TwinSpires name. Nothing will change because the two brands fall under the same parent company. The transition to the TwinSpires brand will take place in New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi, which are the states where BetAmerica has been taking legal wagers.
TwinSpires and Churchill Downs Inc. expect a seamless migration of the accounts and the site interface, so users shouldn’t experience too much downtime or too many problems.
For those that are currently using TwinSpires to bet on horses, because of regulatory requirements, their accounts will have to be re-verified in order to bet on sports or play in the online casino in states where that is legal, like New Jersey and Michigan. That means that a separate account will have to be created independent of the horse racing account. Funds cannot be transferred between the two accounts.
When the transition from BetAmerica to TwinSpires takes place, we will update our pages accordingly here at ATS.io, but for now, be aware of the change and remember that if you bet horses at TwinSpires, you will have to create a new account to use the sportsbook and casino platforms.
