If you had Caesars as the next New Jersey casino operator to launch online sports betting, take your ticket to the window.
Mere hours before the start of the NFL season — with a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons — Caesars snuck its new sportsbook platform into the virtual store. Scientific Games powers the app, which has become the sixth option for online/mobile NJ sports betting. All six launched within the last five weeks.
Sportsbook functionality is rolled into the existing Caesars NJ online casino app, which is available on iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android, as well as on browsers.
Multi-channel NJ sports betting from Caesars
Talk about scrambling to get your bets in.
Caesars practically waited until the coin toss to launch its mobile app, about a month after its sportsbooks opened at Harrah’s and Bally’s. It joins William Hill on the short list of operators offering both retail and mobile sports betting under their own brands.
Here’s CEO Mark Frissora in the press release:
“Since New Jersey decided to allow mobile sports betting, we have been working diligently to create the most engaging and fun mobile platform which provides users with the ability to place bets on their favorite sporting events … This launch further solidifies our investment into this exciting space.”
Caesars’ ambitions in NJ have led it away from its Nevada sports betting provider, Miomni, and into a new partnership with Scientific Games. The deal, announced in July, gives Caesars a turnkey solution across multiple channels and verticals. Sportsbook functionality appears to be somewhat limited initially, however, including a lack of in-play betting.
Given that it’s an addition to an existing app, transactions should be seamless from the start. Customers typically move money in and out of the Caesars app with credit card or PayPal most efficiently.
The platform is also integrated with the Total Rewards program, so bettors can earn casino rewards from their couch.
Competition coming fast in NJ
Five weeks ago, legal NJ sports betting was limited to just a handful of retail sportsbooks. The beginning of football season had always been the soft target for those that were already been making preparations for their run at the market, though.
Eight brick-and-mortar sportsbooks managed to open in time for kickoff, and betting is no longer limited to the casinos and racetracks, either.
DraftKings Sportsbook broke into the online market on Aug. 1, soft-launching its sleek new platform powered by Kambi. Thereafter, playMGM, SugarHouse Sportsbook, and FanDuel Sportsbook and William Hill followed in fairly quick succession, bringing the count to five.
Adding Caesars to the list, there are now too many online sportsbooks to count on one hand.
If you want to keep track of the big picture for NJ sports betting, this page is perpetually updated with new partnership announcements and product launches.