New Jersey in the News — Weekly Round-up for July 13, 2018

New Jersey Online Casino Player Scores Big Jackpot

Hall of Gods progressive delivers a $687,786 windfall

New Jersey media reports indicate that a local online player has scored the second biggest progressive jackpot in New Jersey gambling history – $687,786 – playing the slot Hall of Gods.

The player hit the jackpot at Harrahs last month on a $5 stake.

The largest progressive jackpot in New Jersey online gambling records was scored four years ago at Harrahs online casino when a lucky online punter earned $1,334,641.

Harrah’s online casino operates under the Caesars Interactive iGaming licence and is primarily powered by 888 software, although games from NetEnt are also available.

So far this year New Jersey gamblers have won $1,767,751 playing online progressives, according to data posted by the Division of Gaming Enforcement regulator.

New Jersey Betting Company Files Litigation Against U.S. Sports Leagues

Leagues accused of wrongfully blocking the introduction of sports betting

The New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Inc, owner of the Monmouth Park sportsbook, has filed litigation claiming over $150 million from US professional sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, accusing these bodies of wrongfully blocking the legalisation of sports betting in the long and expensive struggle the liberalise the genre beyond the restrictive Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (see previous InfoPowa reports).

The opposition blocked Monmouth Park from taking sports wagers over a period of four years, claiming in evidence during several court actions that New Jersey would be violating PASPA.

The involvement and attitude displayed by the leagues since the overthrow of PASPA by the US Supreme Court earlier this year proved that the evidence they gave historically was false, and denied Monmouth Park substantial revenue by maintaining the sports betting ban, the filing claims.

“The commissioners falsely described to this court in meticulous detail the catastrophic consequences they swore would follow from the spread of sports betting,” the racetrack’s attorney, Ronald Riccio, said in the court filing. “None of this was close to being true.

“Behind this court’s back, each commissioner’s league and team owners made huge profits from the spread of sports betting, both on the outcome of their games and their players’ performances in their games.”

The leagues have until July 16 to file a formal response to Monmouth Park’s claim, but judging by the initial reaction they will contest the litigation, claiming it to be “meritless, if not frivolous”.

New Fanduel Group Hits The New Jersey Ground Running

FanDuel sportsbook opens at the New Meadowlands Racetrack this week

Hot on the heels of the announcement of its merge with the Paddy Power Betfair group, the newly formed FanDuel Group has revealed that it will launch its first Sportsbook operation at the New Meadowlands Racetrack

The company’s new 5,310 square foot sports betting retail location is adjacent to MetLife Stadium and is the closest in proximity to New York City.

“The opening of our first sportsbook at the Meadowlands is reflective of our commitment to providing sports fans a best-in-class experience,” said Matt King, CEO, FanDuel Group. “We’re excited to partner with Jeff Gural and the team at Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment on what we believe will be the premier sports betting experience for fans in New Jersey, New York, and across the northeast region.”

The new company consists of a number of major betting brands including FanDuel, TVG Network, Betfair Casino, and DRAFT.

TVG, the top online horseracing wagering business in the US, will play a key role in the combined business as it leverages the FanDuel brand’s broad reach to bring a new generation of fans to racing. TVG is the only dedicated US horseracing television network consisting of two channels, TVG and TVG2, which are broadcast daily into over 45 million homes.

The combined business will have a presence across 45 states, 8 million customers, and $265 million in annual revenue making it a leader across daily fantasy sports, horseracing wagering, and gaming.

The FanDuel Sportsbook will feature bets on all major U.S. sports, including professional baseball, soccer, football, basketball, golf, boxing, and motorsports racing. At opening, the location will initially feature 10 teller windows and 27 televisions and accommodate up to 490 people.

By the start of the football season, the FanDuel Sportsbook will expand to include 15 tellers, 65 television screens, and a capacity of close to 650 people.

In addition to future wagers on professional football and baseball, the July 14 sports betting offerings will feature the finals of the world’s largest soccer tournament, men’s and women’s tennis finals from England, and a slew of professional baseball games that will conclude the first half of the season.

The management team at FanDuel comprises Matt King as CEO and Betfair US CEO Kip Levin as president and COO in addition to his responsibilities as CEO of TVG. Paul Rushton, currently Commercial Finance Director of Paddy Power Betfair, will become the CFO of FanDuel Group.

Gan Launches Ocean Online Casino

In New Jersey

GAN has simultaneously launched Ocean Resort Atlantic City’s new online casino and simulated gaming service, converging the online and on-property real-money-gaming experience for guests.

Ocean Resort patrons enrolled in the casino’s loyalty programme, Ocean Premier, can now sign up online and link their reward cards to their online accounts. The initiative enables them to trade in their reward points earned from on-property gaming for cash online and/or to earn rewards points from Internet gaming, to be subsequently redeemed on-property.

The Internet casino is available at OceanOnlineCasino.com providing a mobile-first Internet casino website/app design with Internet sports betting expected to be launched as an integrated extension in the autumn of 2018.

Ocean Resort Casino is GAN’s second New Jersey casino client to license its US Patent for the delivery of a converged online-to-retail real money Internet gaming experience.

Dermot Smurfit, CEO of GAN commented:

“We’re privileged to bring this immense property to life online, just as it relaunches in the traditional retail casino market. We’re excited to deliver not just another ‘me too’ Internet casino, but to also bring online for the first time the capabilities unlocked only by GAN’s convergence Patent which may give casino patrons in New Jersey a compelling economic rationale to play online with Ocean Resort Casino rather than established incumbent casino operators already online in this fast-growing market.