Fox Sports has made its first move into legal sports betting.
The media giant’s Fox Bet sportsbook product is available to New Jersey customers as of Aug. 30.
It’s not a new NJ sports betting app. It’s simply the rebranded BetStars NJ site, and it will continue to operate under the Resorts Digital license.
Talk about perfect timing. NJ sportsbooks have Week 1 odds posted.
And Fox NFL Sunday kicks off on Sept. 8 with the Philadelphia Eagles facing the Washington Redskins. The Dallas Cowboys host the New York Giants will be a big draw for the NJ betting crowd, too.
Same old NJ sports betting at Fox Bet
The biggest difference users will notice is a blue-and-white theme with a touch of yellow replacing the BetStars red and white.
The other big change will be the logo at top, which will switch from BetStars to Fox Bet.
The original BetStars NJ website will simply switch to the new Fox Bet format; users won’t need to do anything on that front but go to the BetStars site and start betting. On phones or tablets, users will need to update the app in the App Store or Google Play.
Otherwise, those wondering if the sports wagering process will be changing can sit back and relax. The app and website are mostly the same as are the different betting types available:
- Point spread
- Straight bets
- Total points
- Futures
- In-Game
- Parlays
As expected, Fox Bet sportsbook has all of the major sports covered, too:
- Baseball/MLB
- Basketball/NBA
- Football/NFL
- Hockey/NHL
- MMA/UFC
- Golf/PGA
Plus, there are tennis, cycling, darts, cricket, and other sports for bettors who prefer the more exotic markets.
As far as depositing goes, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, and PayNearMe are all accepted.
Building the Fox Bet brand
The news of Fox Bet joining the Garden State market (and Pennsylvania next week) has been months in the making.
Back in May, The Stars Group (parent company of BetStars) and Fox Sports announced a media and sports wagering partnership.
The press release included comments from Stars Group CEO Rafi Ashkenazi explaining the change in branding:
“We believe this strategic partnership uniquely positions us to build a leading betting business in the U.S., which represents one of the most exciting long-term growth opportunities for our company.
“Leveraging our proven media partnership strategy with Sky Sports in the UK, we are excited to partner with FOX Sports to integrate wagering into sports media and drive customer acquisition and retention in the U.S.”
The announcement mentioned a targeted fall rollout of two products under the Fox Bet umbrella.
One will be a nationwide free-to-play game in which players can win cash prizes for correctly picking the outcome of sporting events.
Then there is the real money platform of Fox Bet sportsbook that will be available for sports betting in regulated states such as New Jersey.
As part of the 25-year agreement, Fox acquired shares in TSG.
Resorts adds another big name
BetStars was one of the early arrivals to the NJ betting market, launching on Sept. 13 of last year.
But the European-based operator failed to build a following on the level of market leaders FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, William Hill (Caesars NJ), and PlaySugarHouse.
Now with the Fox Bet brand, Stars Group has a sports wagering product linked to a national US media network. And that following has an invested interest in the NFL and college football betting markets.
But at least in New Jersey, the big winner is likely to be Resorts Atlantic City.
The digital arm of Atlantic City’s oldest casino is already reaping the rewards from its partnership with DraftKings. Combined with Fox Bet and the Resorts-branded app, the combination sets things up nicely for the 2019 football season.
Resorts Digital reported $3,721,550 in sports betting revenue for July. The number was tops in Atlantic City and good enough for second best behind the Meadowlands Racetrack (FanDuel and PointsBet NJ).
And Fox Bet has the marketing powerhouse of Fox Sports behind it.
That’s what we call a sports betting touchdown.