Resorts AC Ready To Dance With BetStars For NJ Online Sports Betting

In a week flooded with news for NJ sports betting, Resorts Atlantic City is making sure it’s not being left out of the spotlight.

In a Thursday press release, the oldest casino along the Boardwalk announced it will team up with The Stars Group to offer mobile and online sports betting. Wagering will be under the BetStars brand.

The deal is an extension of an existing deal with Stars, which is already partnered with Resorts for online casino and poker at PokerStarsNJ.

In the press release, Resorts president and CEO Mark Giannantonio said:

“We’re excited to double down on our already successful partnership with The Stars Group, which owns leading sportsbooks globally and has always been known and respected for their advanced technology, superior customer experience and cutting-edge security safeguards.”

Stars steps foot in the US

The Stars Group operates online and mobile sportsbooks in the UK, Europe and Australia, boasting BetStars as the European-focused online sports betting brand.

According to the release, the company brought in more than $800 million in sports betting revenue in 2017. Now, Stars will get its first taste of American action, joining Paddy Power Betfair and GVC as European companies cashing in on the rise of the US industry.

“We believe The Stars Group is uniquely qualified with the experience and insight needed to make sports betting a success in New Jersey,” Matt Primeaux, SVP Strategy and Operations, USA at The Stars Group, said in the release. “We have successfully launched the BetStars brand in many European regulated markets and we have invested heavily to create a premier global offering.”

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Resorts pads online sports betting portfolio

Just a few weeks after the US Supreme Court struck down the PASPA, Resorts made waves by teaming up with daily fantasy sports giant DraftKings to offer sports betting via the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Nearly a month later, Resorts brought in SBTech to power the retail operation.

On Wednesday, after several weeks of staying off the radar, Resorts was back in the headlines as the DraftKings Sportsbook app went live to become the first sportsbook outside of Nevada to go mobile.

MGM Resorts International is expected to roll out its mobile operations via Borgata by the end of the week, as announced in a Tuesday press conference.

And Caesars Entertainment has its Caesars Casino & Sports app “coming soon” to the mobile market, likely by football season.

Big things ahead for Resorts and New Jersey

According to the release, Stars intends to have a single shared wallet for customers using PokerStars and BetStars in the Garden State. Yet the unheralded news was only hinted at.

From the release:

“The company anticipates providing over time, subject to required regulatory approvals, a wide range of betting products including in-play wagering, bespoke accumulators, and live streaming, as well as an ecosystem of free-to-play products and promotions and sports content, for dozens of sports, including professional and NCAA football, basketball, and baseball as well as horse racing, hockey, soccer, tennis and other sporting markets.”

Sports content and live streaming is expected to be offered via this extended partnership. In its deal to become “the official gaming partner” of the NBA, MGM holds the rights to include digital content.

About the Author

Grant Lucas

Grant Lucas is a longtime sportswriter who has covered the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. A graduate of Linfield College in McMinnville, Grant has covered games and written features and columns surrounding prep sports, Linfield, and Oregon State athletics and the Portland Trail Blazers throughout his career.