Caesars launching sports betting in N.J., Mississippi

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Two Atlantic City casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment will start taking sports bets this week, and another two in Mississippi will do so in mid-August.

Caesars Entertainment tells The Associated Press its Bally’s casino in Atlantic City began taking sports bets at 11 a.m. Monday. Its sister casino in Atlantic City, Harrah’s will start taking sports bets on Wednesday.

The company says it soon will offer mobile sports betting, as well, although it did not set a timetable. The gambling industry is closely watching to see which casino will be the first in New Jersey to offer online sports betting following a May ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on a case brought by the state that cleared the way for all 50 states to offer legal sports betting, should they choose.

By mid-August, Harrah’s Gulf Coast in Biloxi and Horseshoe Tunica, both in Mississippi, will begin taking on-premises sports bets. The company says it may expand the mobile betting app to other states besides New Jersey, if and when it makes financial sense to do so.

Bally’s and Harrah’s will become the third and fourth Atlantic City casinos with sports betting, joining Borgata and Ocean Resort. Two horse racing tracks, Monmouth Park in Oceanport, and the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, also offer sports betting in New Jersey.

“The recent Supreme Court ruling allows us to expand our sports betting digital and mobile offerings into new markets,” said Mark Frissora, president and CEO of Caesars Entertainment. “We recognize that our customers expect exciting new experiences, which is why we will continue to offer new products through our mobile and digital platforms and inside our properties.”

Caesars said it will build full sports book facilities at Bally’s and Harrah’s over the next nine months. Temporary facilities have been set up in Bally’s.

The company is partnering with Scientific Games to offer the sports betting technology through its OpenBet sports book.

Sports betting began in mid-June in New Jersey at the Borgata and Monmouth Park. Ocean Resort began offering it in the last three days of the month.

During that two-week period, they took in $16.4 million worth of sports bets.