Although it was the driving force behind the SCOTUS’ eradication of PASPA on May 14, the Garden State ironically was beat to the punch in terms of becoming the first state outside of Nevada to offer single-game sports betting.
Delaware – which already had the ability to offer single-game wagering without further legislation as one of the four states “grandfathered” under PASPA – went live on June 5. However, New Jersey followed soon thereafter, with Monmouth Park taking the state’s official wager from Gov. Phil Murphy on June 14.
Borgata Casino christened its sportsbook that same day, while last Thursday marked the grand opening of the new Ocean Resort Casino, which is still building a 7,500-foot, William Hill-operated sportsbook but has started taking bets at a temporary sportsbook on the property.
Where to place your bets?
Not all New Jersey sportsbooks that will eventually be open for business are up and running yet, however. So where can the state’s residents currently head to place a variety of sports-related wagers?
A look at what’s already live, as well as what’s coming down the pike:
Monmouth Park Racetrack: Opened its William Hill-operated sportsbook as of June 14.
Borgata Casino: Converted its former racebook to a full sportsbook and also opened June 14.
Resorts Atlantic City Casino: Has a deal in place with DraftKings to offer mobile sports betting through the company’s new online sportsbook as early as July 14. A physical DraftKings sportsbook location is also in the works according to Gary Canning, gaming shift supervisor at Resorts AC.
Meadowlands Race Track: Has signed a retail/online wagering partnership with Paddy Power Betfair’s North American arm, Betfair US. Paddy Power Betfair also now has a controlling ownership stake in FanDuel, and as such, a FanDuel-branded sportsbook could become a reality in the Meadowlands. The most recent reports have July 15 as a target date for the track to be open for sports betting business on site with online wagering likely coming this fall.
Caesars (Caesars, Bally’s, Harrah’s): Caesars has been relatively quiet about the exact sports betting plans for its three AC properties – Caesars, Bally’s and Harrah’s. However, there are reported plans to kick off sportsbooks at those locations at some point in August.
Golden Nugget: Plans to launch sports betting at both its brick-and-mortar location and online by the start of the 2018 NFL season. Will not be able to take bets on NBA games due to the fact that Houston Rockets majority owner Tilman Fertitta also owns the property.
Ocean Resort: Opened its William Hill-operated sportsbook on Thursday, June 28.
Hard Rock Casino: Also had a grand opening on Thursday, June 28 but not offering sports betting yet. Hard Rock chairman Jim Allen did confirm in a Thursday press conference that the property will eventually offer both on-site and online sports betting, however.
Tropicana: Details have been relatively scarce, but renovations of a former rooftop bar are reportedly underway with the goal of having it ready to go by the start of the NFL season as a functioning sportsbook.
