The New Jersey mobile and online sports wagering market got a little busier this past weekend with the launch of two new sports betting apps.
In fact, both daily-fantasy-sports-turned-sports-betting operator FanDuel and the country’s largest sportsbook operator William Hill US soft-launched new mobile and online sportsbook products on Saturday.
DraftKings SportsBook, playMGM Sports, and SugarHouse Sportsbook all went live in August. That now brings the list of operational mobile and online sportsbooks in the state to five.
However, two more could also go live as soon as this week. Caesars Entertainment and Resorts previously announced plans to launch mobile and online sports betting products before the start of the NFL season.
The five-day soft launch
FanDuel Sportsbook kicked off a five-day soft launch for its web-based, Android and iOS platforms on Saturday. The William Hill soft launch went live on Android only. (Both platforms have limited access, as per regulations.)
Of course, both companies already run retail sportsbooks in the NJ sports betting market.
The FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands Racetrack opened on July 14 on the grounds of MetLife Stadium where the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets play home games.
On June 14, the Monmouth Park Sports Book by William Hill became the first sports betting operation to open in the state.
Additionally, William Hill opened up a temporary sportsbook at the new Ocean Resort Casino on June 28. The permanent 7,500 square-foot William Hill Sportsbook (Caesars Sportsbook) at Ocean Resort Casino will open when the NFL season kicks off this Thursday, Sept. 6.
Much like DraftKings Sportsbook, the FanDuel mobile and online sports betting app allows customers to move funds around between daily fantasy sports and sports betting accounts.
The FanDuel Sportsbook product
However, the FanDuel product separates itself from the pack by displaying game casts with live-scoring visualizations following the action of individual events. Plus, it allows customers outside of New Jersey to view lines. Only those inside state lines can bet on them, of course.
The FanDuel Sportsbook features in-play wagering, prop bets and an intuitive suggested games feature. The feature will tailor itself to users and their individual betting patterns.
William Hill launched a mobile sportsbook in Nevada back in 2013. The first indication it was headed to New Jersey came last week when “NV” was added to the app title. William Hill has an iOS version of the app available in Nevada. It is expected to go live on iTunes in New Jersey when it’s five-day soft launch wraps up.
The FanDuel Sportsbook runs on a proprietary software platform using the technology from new owner Paddy Power Betfair (now FanDuel).
A conservative approach to NJ sports betting
In talking with Legal Sports Report, head of product Nik Bonaddio said there are benefits to operating under an international gaming giant:
“We’re partnered with one of the most respected brands in Europe, if not the most respected. That gives us a lot of operational [advantages] — whether its efficient pricing, whether it’s the breadth of markets, it gives us more credibility in the space.”
Bonaddio added FanDuel Sportsbook will take a conservative approach to the kind of sports and contests it books. This is an effort to avoid anything that might be fixed. In fact, that means things like hot dog eating contests are likely out. As are lower ranked professional tennis circuits where corruption has previously occurred.
For now, it also means no esports betting, as Bonaddio said the audience is generally younger than 18.
FanDuel Sportsbook will offer the increasingly popular teaser bets, with looser lines available at reduced payouts.
Competitive betting lines
FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands Racetrack opened with some questionable lines.
However, Bonaddio called it a bit of a false start. Plus, he promised the FanDuel online and mobile sports betting product will offer “extremely competitive” pricing. Again, the connection to Paddy Power Betfair should help:
“Paddy Power has a world-class trading team behind it. If you look at the margins that Paddy Power has, the revenue they do on a lesser scale means that their trading department is as good as it gets. All of this runs off the same platforms that Paddy Power itself runs off of. You will see us having, if not the most efficient lines, among them.”