New Jersey gets five more sports betting applications

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — New Jersey regulators have received five additional applications from gambling companies seeking to start offering sports betting before football season starts in September.

David Rebuck, director of the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, told The Associated Press that his agency received two new applications from brick-and-mortar facilities, and three applications for mobile sports betting by a deadline he set of Monday evening.

He would not identify the applicants, saying it's up to the companies to identify themselves.

"Everybody wants to be fully functional by the end of August," he said. "We'll see."

Meeting the deadline means state regulators expect to be able to consider their applications in time for the outlets to begin sports betting by the start of football season at the beginning of September, should everything be in order.

Not meeting the deadline, however, does not mean an applicant will be frozen out of the entire NFL season; applications that arrive later will still be considered, although they might not be acted upon before the start of the season, Rebuck said.

Caesars Entertainment applied for permission to offer sports betting in person at Harrah's casino, as well as at Bally's casino, which also would service the adjacent Caesars casino. The company also applied for permission to offer mobile sports betting affiliated with all three of its Atlantic City casinos, according to Kevin Ortzman, the company's Atlantic City regional president.

The Golden Nugget applied for in-person and mobile sports betting, according to its executive vice president, Tom Pohlman. Other potential applicants did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.