Ocean Resort and Borgata have some new casino-based sports betting competition in the Garden State.
Caesars Entertainment, which owns Bally’s and Harrah’s casinos in New Jersey (in addition to Caesars Palace Atlantic City) officially confirmed its sports betting plans for the two establishments Monday.
One aspect of the news qualified as a true “hot off the presses” moment – Bally’s was to begin offering live sports betting at 11 am ET Monday. Harrah’s is slated to follow just 48 hours later, taking its first wager on Wednesday morning.
And New Jersey isn’t the only jurisdiction where Caesars is jumping into the newly legalized industry. The announcement also included the news that the company will roll out sports betting by mid-August on two Mississippi properties – Harrah’s Gulf Coast (Biloxi) and Horsehoe Tunica.
Much more to unfold in coming weeks, months
The development marks Caesars Entertainment’s first foray into expanding its sports betting offerings outside of Nevada. The initial sportsbook facilities at both casinos will be considered temporary, as the release also confirmed it will be “building out” the respective structures over the next nine months to “create the same world-class betting experiences” that they maintain on their world-famous Las Vegas property.
Caesars confirmed that all sports betting activity in both locations and eventually, on online platforms, will be directly integrated into the company’s Total Rewards initiative. Total Rewards is a loyalty program in which patrons accrue points based on their gaming activity on Caesars’ properties.
Just as notable is the revelation that mobile sports betting is already in the pipeline for Caesars as well. While an official rollout date for the Caesars Casino and Sports mobile app is yet to be made public, a debut before the start of the NFL season seems like a reasonably certain proposition.
Although mobile sports betting became officially legal in New Jersey as of July 10, no casino or racetrack has yet to make it available. However, two daily fantasy sports industry leaders are expected to soon serve as online rivals for Caesars in the state:
- DraftKings is partnered with Resorts AC to offer its online sportsbook in New Jersey, with a planned launch before the start of the NFL regular season.
- FanDuel, which already boasts a branded physical sportsbook at Meadowlands Racetrack, is also expected to debut online wagering in the state prior to the start of NFL season through the track’s license.
Scientific Games Announced as Sports Betting Technology Partner
The unveiling of a collaboration with renowned gaming software company Scientific Games (SG) was also part of Monday’s announcement. The company’s OpenBet sportsbook technology is set to power both the on-site and online sports betting platforms for Bally’s and Harrah’s. The partnership expands SG’s already formidable reach in New Jersey, where it provides online casino software for entities like Caesars and Golden Nugget.
Moreover, OpenBet already powers the sports betting technology of prominent bookmakers such as William Hill, Sky Bet and Paddy Power Betfair.
