This has been a busy week for sports betting in New Jersey. The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa announced the launch of PlayMGM NJ Sports mobile application, while PlaySugarHouse.com started its online sports wagering option via the Golden Nugget license.
Services now live
Sports bettors in New Jersey now have two more options for placing wagers online, thanks to PlayMGM and PlaySugarHouse. The online services will make placing sports bets much more convenient as players can simply go online, rather than having to visit a sportsbook in person.
The PlayMGM NJ Sports mobile application, available only for Android phones at the moment, officially launched on Wednesday. The first wager was placed just after noon, a $50 bet on the Philadelphia Eagles to win their first game.
It is not surprising to see the launch of mobile wagering via PlayMGM as the Borgata was the first to launch land-based sports betting in Atlantic City when their Race & Sports Book opened on June 14. Borgata COO and President Marcus Glover said: “After a tremendously successful launch of land-based sports betting at Borgata, we are excited to offer this product that both complements our retail sports wagering offerings and lives up to the brand reputation, established by Borgata and MGM Resorts.”
According to Glover, the launch of the PlayMGM NJ Sports app is expected to increase land-based sports wagering at the Borgata and help to further establish the company’s leadership in the state market and beyond.
On Thursday, the online sports betting offering for PlaySugarHouse.com was launched, integrated within its online casino. Gambling regulators gave their approval for the site to go live this week and the operator had the site ready by the early morning hours.
The SugarHouse Online Sportsbook & Casino is the first to be associated with the Golden Nugget of Atlantic City’s licensing, as the casino is affiliated with the Philadelphia SugarHouse Casino. The two worked together to create an online casino offering.
Operated by Rush Street Interactive, PlaySugarHouse will offer unified player accounts. This means that players will be able to easily switch between the online casino and sports betting options, keeping track of bonus points and their wallet along the way.
Rush Street Interactive already has experience providing sports betting services via mobile and online in Colombia. Company President Richard Schwartz said: “Being the first U.S.-based gaming operator to launch a regulated online sportsbook outside of the US has been helpful in establishing the SugarHouse Online Sportsbook & Casino.”
Moving quickly
Gaming operators in New Jersey have worked quickly to offer sports betting and most hope to be up and running before the NFL season starts in September. Right now, six of the nine casinos in Atlantic City and two horse racetracks offer sports betting services.
As mentioned, the Borgata was the first to launch, followed by the Ocean Resort Casino, Harrah’s Casino, Bally’s Resorts Casino, and the Golden Nugget. The Meadowlands and Monmouth Park are the two racetracks that also launched sports betting. Other operators are waiting for approval from state regulators.
Overall, the sports betting industry has done quite well in the early stages. According to VSO News, in July, the state saw $40.6m (£31.9m) in wagers placed during the first full month of operations. At the time, only three casinos and two racetracks were offering sports betting.
As more operators begin to open sportsbooks and launch online services, the number of wagers will continue to increase. It will be interesting to see the figures over the coming months as more operators join in.