First mobile sports betting licence awarded in New Jersey

The Bloomberg business news agency reports that Resorts Casino Hotel and DraftKings have received approval to become the first companies to offer online and mobile sports betting in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement gave approval Wednesday afternoon to the casino and its Boston-based online partner to launch an invitation-only version of mobile sports betting, which will undergo several days of testing before becoming fully available.

The New Jersey regulator revealed Wednesday that it is considering mobile applications from several other companies in the Garden State, where four land casinos and two horse tracks currently offer in-person sports betting (see previous reports).

Perhaps better known as a daily fantasy sports provider, DraftKings has been building its DraftKings Sportsbook operation since last summer, anticipating the liberalisation of sports betting in the US which came about following a US Supreme Court decision in May this year.

The DraftKings sports book app is available for Apple and Android phones, and empowers players to use the same account for DFS and sports betting, enabling cross-marketing. With geo-location facilities, the app will permit only players present within New Jersey borders to gamble.

Shortly after the Court’s ruling, New Jersey’s governor signed a state sports betting bill into law, triggering a 30-day waiting period on online and mobile betting to allow state regulators time to begin the licensing process.

The independent research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming estimates that combined online and land sports betting in New Jersey will generate around $500 million annually in operator revenues

Industry observers say that more online sports betting licenses can be expected in the near future; MGM Resorts chief exec Jim Murren said earlier this week that he expects subsidiary Borgata will be taking mobile bets within days.

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