Continent 8—one of the largest online gaming data center and network solutions providers in the U.S.—announced it will integrate their data centers in Caesars Atlantic City and Ocean Resort Casino with locations in Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The company said the multi-state capacity will create a “seamless suite of hosting and network managed services for those seeking to enter the growing sports betting market in the United States,” according to a company press release.
“Serving the rapidly expanding online sports betting industry, Continent 8’s integration of state-of-the-art data centers across multiple states and gaming jurisdictions provides a hub and spoke technology platform to help companies successfully enter the marketplace,” said CEO Michael Tobin. “In 2019, Continent 8 will further increase network capacity with additional expansion in the states of New York and Ohio, and other states as legislation evolves.”
Continent 8 and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority have previously announced a deal for the company to construct a new data center at the Atlantic City Convention Center. The company plans to build the nearly 6,000-square foot, $5 million data center by April 2019 and will pay CRDA $101,000 annually in rent, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In addition Continent 8, based in the Isle of Man, plans to assist casinos in esports tournamnets, a new gaming sector that could help boost casino revenue in the winter months. Esports, or competitive video game tournaments, is one of the fastest growing activities in the nation, generating nearly $1 billion a year in the global market.
Esports is also attractive to the millenial generation, which grew up on video games, and Atlantic City casinos are eager to tap into that segment of the population. Stockton University is joining the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s intercollegiate esports competition, building a room at its Galloway campus, near Atlantic City, which should bring players—and gamblers—to the East Coast market.
