Caesars Entertainment and Scientific Games will partner together for sports betting in New Jersey and Mississippi. The former announced the union in a press release issued Monday.
Caesars has three Atlantic City casinos, making this one of the biggest dominoes to fall in the NJ sports betting industry. Two of those — Bally’s and Harrah’s — have constructed temporary sportsbooks, and Scientific Games will support both retail and mobile operations.
SG Digital also supplies Delaware sports betting and the platform that powers much of the NJ online casino market. Its plans for NJ predated the US Supreme Court ruling to repeal the federal sports betting ban in May.
This agreement stretches into Mississippi sports betting, too, covering Horseshoe Tunica and Harrah’s Gulf Coast.
Two NJ sportsbooks opening this week
As part of the announcement, Caesars unveiled a timeline for launch across the relevant properties.
Over the course of the next nine months, Caesars Entertainment will be building out the facilities to create the same world-class sports betting experiences currently available at its properties in Nevada.
It won’t take nine months to open the windows, though. The namesake Caesars AC doesn’t have plans for a retail sportsbook, but the other two will start taking bets at temporary facilities this week:
- Bally’s: July 30
- Harrah’s AC: August 1
That’s today for Bally’s.
Note that these dates apply only to the retail sportsbooks on property. Caesars didn’t provide an updated timetable for mobile betting other than to say it plans to do so “quickly.”
The temporary betting windows at Bally’s and Harrah’s should move into more permanent homes by next spring.
Mississippi sports betting in August
As a whole, Mississippi sports betting should be live within a matter of days. The law limits wagering to casino grounds, but SG Digital will offer an on-site mobile platform as a compliment.
According to the release, Caesars’ properties will be ready to take bets in mid-August. That’s just in time for football season. The group owns two casinos in the state, one in each of the main gambling towns — Biloxi and Tunica.
Here’s CEO Mark Frissora:
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.
Caesars plans to launch mobile wagering in additional states “when and if it becomes legal and economically attractive” to do so.
