The Tennessee Education Lottery has approved four vendors for its upcoming sports wagering market.
The state is currently awaiting completed paperwork from three sports betting companies seeking to be operators, the highest and priciest level of licensure for the business.
The Volunteer State anticipates launching online/mobile sports wagering in just a few short months, potentially in the first half of September.
Approving vendors is an important step in the process, but many more vendors have yet to be approved and no sportsbook has been approved yet. This past spring, the state finalized regulations for the industry.
The vendors
Under the state’s sports betting rules, a vendor “means a contractor, subcontractor, or independent contractor hired, or contracted with, by the TEL or by a Licensee or Supplier for the purpose of facilitating the business of the TEL or a Licensee or Supplier who provides goods or services that are material and ancillary to conducting Interactive Sports Gaming in the State of Tennessee.”
On the TEL’s website, the following four vendors are listed as approved:
Mark Knight
It’s not clear who this person is. It could be Mark Knight of Knight Management, LLC, based in Loudon, Tenn. An email to Knight Management wasn’t returned Thursday.
Media Players US LLC
According to state records, the entity was formed in Delaware. Its “registered agent” is in Knoxville. Its filing in Tennessee was in May. It’s not clear what the firm does.
Wedge Traffic Ltd., dba Wedge Traffic Inc.
Per state records, the firm, based overseas out of Scotland, is registered in Nashville. Its filing in Tennessee was in late May. Wedge Traffic is also a New Jersey registered business. The Garden State has had online sports betting since 2018 and online casinos since 2013.
Sports Betting ST, LLC, dba SBST
No records were found for this entity, but its website indicates it’s an affiliate marketing company.