Scientific Games indicated that it has met with New Jersey regulators about its sports betting product, should the state win its US Supreme Court case.
What’s new in New Jersey
The company said in a press release Monday that its arm that deals with sports wagering, SG Digital, “has commenced sportsbook product review sessions” with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
A launch of a sportsbook would require NJ to get a favorable decision from the nation’s highest court in Murphy vs. NCAA. That’s the case about the federal sports wagering ban outside of Nevada. A victory for NJ would also open up wagering in other states that legalize it.
But the company — like many in the gaming space — appears to be increasingly confident of a verdict going NJ’s way. And it is preparing for that eventuality. And it appears that the company is not unique in working with NJ regulators ahead of a possible launch of wagering. However, press releases like this one have not been the norm.
SG did not offer any other details about the review sessions about its OpenBet sports gambling product. And Legal Sports Report did not hear back immediately from either the company about the nature of the sessions. The DGE said it had no comment.
This is what was in the presser on this front:
Matt Davey, Group Chief Executive, SG Digital, said, “SG Digital has a strong presence in New Jersey with our Open Platform System (OPS) already certified in the state; our knowledge of the market will play an important part in preparing OpenBet for the marketplace. We work closely with the DGE to ensure responsible gaming experiences and congratulate the effort of the DGE and the state of New Jersey for taking progressive action to help create a safer sports betting market for the public.”
“We are setting the foundations well in advance to help our partners establish themselves early in the emerging territory.”
Preparations for US sports betting
Last year, SG acquired NYX Gaming in a move at least partially aimed at a potential US sports gambling market.
More nuggets from SG Digital today:
- The release went onto say that SG Digital “is getting ahead of the game and is fully prepared to ensure its ambitious partners are ready to launch their sportsbook offering.”
- SG Digital is making “market-specific product enhancements” aimed at serving the US market.
- It is “undertaking a recruitment drive” to support the growth on the sportsbook side of things.
More from Keith O’Loughlin, senior vice president of sportsbook and platforms at SG Digital:
“Legalized sports betting in the U.S. is an exciting prospect for us, and we’re taking every step possible to ensure our product offering is fully compliant to hit the ground running when the marketplace eventually opens up beyond the current regulated states. …
“We have spent time considering U.S. customer needs and are focused on ensuring that the user experience is of high standard and can be delivered with speed.”
Already in New Jersey, US
Scientific Games will be at the forefront of a rollout of legal sports betting in the NJ.
The company is already the leading platform provider in a consistently growing online gambling NJ online casino industry. It provides the online casino software for:
- Golden Nugget
- Caesars
- Two Resorts online casinos: ResortsCasino.com and MoheganSunCasino.com.
SG Digital already partners with bookmakers such as William Hill, which is already established in Nevada, Bet365 and Ladbrokes Coral.