New Jersey is no longer a one-pony mobile sports betting show.
On Wednesday afternoon, MGM Resorts International finally introduced its playMGM sports betting app.
Courtesy of the Borgata license, the app was introduced to the NJ sports betting market nearly a full month after MGM CEO Jim Murren announced it would go live by the end of the first week of August.
From Murren at the time:
“Fortunately we have a running start here because we operate the largest sports betting operation in Las Vegas with our 10 resorts. … And our playMGM app has been active for quite some time and is already quite popular.
“So I think that the experienced gaming customer, and even the novice, is really going to gravitate toward integrity, trust, branding, information. And I think this provides us a tremendous advantage over my competitors.”
Limited availability for now
For three weeks, DraftKings Sportsbook stood as the lone mobile operator in the Garden State. Now, playMGM has entered the mix.
The newest app, however, is only available for Android devices, leaving iOS users in the dark for the time being. Additionally, no browser-based portal exists at the moment.
As for the product, and as reported by Legal Sports Report, the playMGM app operates differently than its sister product in Nevada. LSR reported that the NJ app will have odds set differently than those in the Silver State.
MGM, Borgata becoming giants
Borgata became the second NJ property to offer legalized sports betting when it debuted its brick-and-mortar sportsbook June 14.
Now with the playMGM app, Borgata moves to the inside track to becoming a heavy hitter in New Jersey.
Overseeing it all, MGM continues to grow within the sports betting world. Last month the company entered a $200 million partnership with GVC to power MGM sportsbooks.
Around the same time, MGM joined forces with Boyd Gaming, allowing the two entities to share licenses in states where the other does not have a presence. And then there’s MGM’s partnership with the NBA.
All of this gives MGM an expansive reach that appears unmatched by competitors.
Breaking up monopoly
Until Wednesday, only one mobile sportsbook reigned supreme in New Jersey. The DraftKings Sportsbook app enjoyed several weeks of monopolization after launching earlier this month but will now have to make room for competition.
Though the daily fantasy sports giant knew this day was coming.
“Everybody knows there’s a big opportunity out there,” DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said after his company partnered with Resorts Atlantic City in June. “… Anytime you’ve got a big market about to be created, there’s so much opportunity out there that everyone should benefit, as long as you do it the right way.”
Potentially in short order, this elite club could expand even more. NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement director David Rebuck recently said in an interview that “a lot of mobile products” are currently being tested and that “before the month we’re going to have a few more out there in New Jersey.”
Caesars Entertainment is reportedly working on its mobile operation by integrating its online casino with sports betting to create a new Caesars Casino & Sports app, which could be launched by football season.
Additionally, Resorts shared its plans to roll out a mobile sportsbook by September, while Meadowlands Racetrack owner Jeff Gural hinted at a FanDuel Sportsbook mobile platform in the near future.