Caesars reveals New Jersey mobile gambling plans

There has been a blizzard of partnership deals across the United States this past week as major US gambling groups take early advantage of the liberalised sports betting market currently unfolding there, often partnered by experienced European companies.

On Friday Caesars Entertainment added to the excitement it created earlier in the week in announcing that two of its New Jersey land casinos – Bally’s and Harrah’s – had launched sports betting activity in the state; it revealed that it is working on plans to launch mobile sports betting in New Jersey by including the vertical in its Caesars Casino and Sports app, currently available as CaesarsCasino.com.

Melanie Gross, Caesars’ vice president of online casino, told the local publication PlayNJ.com:

“We want to offer our players a full casino experience, and give them the opportunity to play their favorite casino games and also place wagers on sports within the same application, and have it be a seamless experience.

“When the idea of PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) getting repealed became real, we looked at a number of different options available to us.  And the right choice for our business includes one app for both casino and sports.”

Caesars had previously revealed that it has partnered with Scientific Games, which will power the mobile wagering platform with its SG Digital technology. Within the same app, users can switch between sports betting and the online casino.

The company has yet to announce a date for going live with mobile sports betting, but observers believe the plan is to have it available in time for the football season.

PlayNJ notes that a mobile Caesars app will also have appeal outside the New Jersey market in the form of sports fans in neighbouring New York, who could easily make the short cross-border journey into New Jersey to bet on their mobile devices.

At present the main mobile competitive threat is the DraftKings Sportsbook in partnership with Resorts Casino and Hotel, which has already commenced soft launch operations in New Jersey (see previous reports). MGM Resorts International has also indicated it has mobile plans via its Borgata subsidiary.

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