New Jersey took on the federal government for the right to offer legal sports betting within its borders and won. Every state in nation interested in sports betting as a viable way to add tax revenue to its coffers won when the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of their rights in light of the US government’s past intrusion into the matter. The biggest challenge in the Garden State for its Atlantic City casinos and various race tracks for horse racing is to get their sportsbook up and running for the start of the 2018 football season in early September. Monmouth Park was the first real money gambling venue to accomplish this goal with the recent opening of its sportsbook while rest of the licensed facilities in the state find their online sportsbooks in various stages of completion.
One of the newest players in the game is the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel on Atlantic City’s Boardwalk. Following a $500 million-dollar renovation of the defuncted Trump Taj Mahal, it opened its doors for real money casino gambling on June 28. In a recent post by EasyMobileCasino.com, it was announced that Hard Rock Atlantic City had reached an agreement with UK sportsbook Bet365 to handle the wagering platform for its on-site sportsbook and future online sports betting capabilities.
Bet365 is one of the biggest and most popular sportsbooks abroad and this will be its first foray into the US market. Many industry experts see this as the first of many partnerships for the online betting giant with the rapid expansion of sports betting in any number of states in the coming years. The report estimates that Bet365 serves more that 23 million sport betting customers globally as one of the largest online gambling companies in the world. This gives it the clout to make an immediate impact in the New Jersey sports betting industry. An industry that is suddenly leading the way as the first entity outside of Nevada to open sportsbooks within its borders.
This deal has been in the works for several weeks following the favorable ruling from the country’s highest court. However, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) revealed details of the new arrangement on July 3. The PlaySlots4RealMoney.com report mentioned a letter of intent between Hard Rock and Bet365 was signed on June 19 to form this sports betting partnership. The DGE signed off on the deal back on June 25 and it is unknown when a formal announcement will be made.
While the Hard Rock’s casino opened for business on the AC Boardwalk at the end of June, days later it was also open for business online with technology provider GAN. The DGE is expected to authorize online sports betting later this month according to PlaySlots4RealMoney.com. Bet365 is just one a handful of British online sportsbooks looking to enter the US market. William Hill partnered with Monmouth Park to blaze the trail and Paddy Power Betfair is working with Meadowlands Racetrack to get its sportsbook up and running.
