The new revenue opportunity associated with online gambling compels many payments companies to court gaming providers. Blackhawk Network, the prepaid card specialist, is the latest to do this with the expansion of its Game On card to Maryland, Kansas, and Wyoming.
Game On cards enable consumers add funds to their accounts at sports betting operators. Launched in 2020, the Game On card can be used to fund these accounts or to gift funds to others, Blackhawk says. While options vary by state, the Game On card can be used with gaming platforms FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, and BetMGM.
According to the American Gaming Association’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker for the first quarter, online gaming surged 50.4% in April year-over-year, primarily driven by the introduction of online sports betting in Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Ohio in the past year and the growth of iGaming in the six states it’s legal in. iGaming is real-money online wagering on casino games such as slots, table games, or poker, according to the Washington, D.C.-based AGA.
“The Game On card can be used as a tool to spend wisely, because players can use the card to hold their desired amount of funds,” Steve Dekker, Blackhawk managing director for the Americas, said in a statement. The Game On card is issued by Pathward N.A. and is available in 15 states, according to the Game On Web site.
As of June 14, according to an AGA map, sports betting is legal and live in 33 states and the District of Columbia. It’s legal in five other states but not operational.