What’s In The Works For Caesars’ NJ Sports Betting Plans? Quite A Lot
Two of Caesars Entertainment’s three Atlantic City casinos now offer legal sports betting. Plus, the third has plans to release a mobile sports betting app in the New Jersey market before long.
In fact, Caesars announced on July 30, 2018, it will introduce sports betting at its Atlantic City properties. Sports betting launched at Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel and Casino Wild Wild West casino on July 30, 2018.
Sportsbooks at Bally’s and Harrah’s
Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel and Casino initially opened in 1979 at the famous intersection of Park Place and the Atlantic City Boardwalk. In addition to a temporary sportsbook, the property boasts two casinos with more than 220,000 square feet of gaming floor space, including more than 5,000 slot machines.
Additionally, Caesars launched sports betting at its Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City on Aug. 1, 2018.
Harrah’s opened in 1980 as the first casino and hotel in Atlantic City’s Marina District. In fact, it now features five hotel towers, a 177,000-square-foot casino with more than 5,500 slots, 140 table games, and a 40-table poker room. Plus, a temporary sportsbook.
Sportsbook operations at the two Caesars properties are run out of Las Vegas. The betting lines are controlled by Las Vegas as well. As a result, the lines are the same at both properties.
The Caesars Casino & Sports App
Caesars AC remains Caesars Entertainment’s flagship Atlantic City property. It opened in 1979 as the Boardwalk Regency. The property became Caesars Atlantic City in 1987. Caesars boasts more than 1,100 hotel rooms and a 145,000-square-feet casino with more than 3,000 slot machines and 135 table games.
The release of Caesars Entertainment’s NJ sports betting plans in late July 2018 included no information regarding a retail sports betting operation on the Caesars property.
However, the company did indicate it plans to launch the Caesars Casino & Sports App mobile sports wagering application in New Jersey prior to the start of the National Football League season this fall. In fact, the app is already available for download at various app stores, though it has yet to be approved by the Division of Gaming Enforcement for a soft launch.
The mobile app will be rolled out in additional states when or if it becomes legal and economically attractive for the company to do so.
Caesars’ Mississippi casino operations will also open up sportsbooks in August 2018. Mississippi casinos can run on-property mobile sports betting only.
Plans to expand
Of course, the introduction of the company’s sports betting plan was made possible in May. A US Supreme Court decision declared a federal ban on sports betting unconstitutional. In the wake of that decision, Delaware, New Jersey, and Mississippi have all launched legal sports betting. Other states are expected to come on board in the coming months.
Caesars Entertainment President and CEO Mark Frissora said there are plans to expand sports betting where the company can:
“The recent Supreme Court ruling allows us to expand our sports betting digital and mobile offerings into new markets. We recognize 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.”
Over the course of the next nine months, many of its properties will be building out sports betting facilities to create a world-class experience. Those experiences will be similar to what is available at its Nevada properties.
The Caesars sportsbook experience
The sportsbook at Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in Nevada is a sports gambling mecca. It features six 12-foot by 15-foot video screens and a 20-foot by 50-foot LED board. There are 12 50-inch plasma screens for game viewing. However, there are also 12-inch flat screens at every table facing the video wall. Plus, there is a large bar with its own bank of TVs for game viewing.
Scientific Games’ OpenBet Technology platform powers all Caesars’ sports betting operations.
OpenBet will reportedly provide Caesars’ players with intuitive and sleek sports betting solutions in New Jersey, too. It’s all an effort to enhance the sports betting experience through digital platforms.
Scientific Games President and CEO Barry Cottle said the company looks forward to the challenge:
“We’re thrilled to partner with Caesars to help them bring best-in-class sports wagering experiences to their players. With OpenBet, our powerful and robust sportsbook platform, Caesars will have a truly open platform and end-to-end product suite that delivers the very best and flexible solutions and has proven success managing the largest share of the world’s online bets, more than 2 billion online bets annually.
“Our SG Digital team is excited to help Caesars stay ahead of the game, as they work to expand their sports betting, digital and mobile offerings into newly regulated markets.”
Caesars claims it has quickly mobilized to provide players with a new exciting gaming experience that sports fans can trust.
Additionally, Caesars has fully integrated its sports betting platform with its Total Rewards player loyalty program. This now allows players to earn and redeem rewards through sports betting.