Caesars launches sports betting in New Jersey
Caesars Entertainment has revealed that it will begin taking sports bets at two of its casinos in New Jersey this week, with plans to roll out similar services in the state of Mississippi in August.
Bally’s Wild Wild West started taking bets from 11:00am EDT today (Monday), while Harrah’s Atlantic City (pictured) will launch its service on August 1. The two properties follow the Borgata – by far the biggest of the city’s nine casino resorts – and Ocean Resorts in offering sports betting after it legalised in New Jersey last month.
Caesars will be working with Scientific Games in New Jersey, with plans to use the OpenBet sportsbook technology to provide a digital service at the venues via a mobile application.
iGamingBusiness.com understands mobile sports betting is still on track to be available in New Jersey before the NFL season starts in early September.
More than $16m (£12.2m/€13.8m) was wagered in New Jersey in the first two weeks of operations after launch on June 14, according to figures released at the start of this month.
In Mississippi, Caesars will start taking bets at its Horseshoe Tunica and Harrah’s Gulf Coast facilities in Mississippi from mid-August.
The Mississippi service will only be available on-property, but Caesars said that it intends to launch dedicated apps in other states “when and if it becomes legal and economically attractive for Caesars to do so”.
Mark Frissora, president and chief executive of Caesars Entertainment, added: “The recent Supreme Court ruling allows us to expand our sports betting digital and mobile offerings into new markets.
“We recognise that our customers expect exciting new experiences, which is why we will continue to offer new products through our mobile and digital platforms and inside our properties.”
Caesar’s planned roll-out in Mississippi comes despite the state having not yet passed a post-PASPA law to regulate sports betting.
The Mississippi Gaming Commission last month revealed that the state was close to finalising laws for sports betting in the hope of launching a regulated service by the end of July.
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