New Jersey’s sports bettors finally have another digital wagering option after MGM Resorts launched its mobile betting app.
On Wednesday, MGM’s playMGM digital brand announced the soft-launch of its new sports betting app in New Jersey, making good on a timeline issued earlier this month. This is the second state in which MGM has launched mobile wagering, the option having been available to bettors in Nevada for a couple years now.
The playMGM NJ Sports app is currently only available for Android devices and also currently lacks a browser-based option. The company says apps for other platforms will be released ‘shortly.’ The Associated Press reported that the first mobile wager was a $50 bet on the Philadelphia Eagles extending their hot streak from January’s Super Bowl victory by winning their first game of the 2018 NFL season.
MGM operates Atlantic City’s Borgata casino, which was the first AC casino to launch land-based sports betting in June. The Borgata ranked second among AC operators behind the new Ocean Resort Casino in New Jersey’s July sports betting revenue chart, taking in $563k worth of the local definition of revenue.
MGM’s new app is only the second app to launch in New Jersey, ending the brief monopoly that daily fantasy sports turned sportsbook operator DraftKings has enjoyed since its app went live in the first week of August. Other AC casino operators and DraftKings DFS rival FanDuel have vowed to have their digital wagering ducks in a row before the new NFL season kicks off next month.
In late July, MGM announced plans for a new 25-year, $200m joint venture with UK-listed online gambling giant GVC Holdings, with which MGM had already partnered for its digital operations. The two companies aim to carve out the biggest slice possible of the US market’s online casino, poker and betting revenue.
