Bet365 Quietly Unveils Sports Betting Site in New Jersey

On August 22, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) approved the test-launch of Bet365 digital sportsbook. The move is quite strategic especially because the launch of the locally licensed website will help the company to capitalize on the forthcoming NFL season that will be kicking off in just a little over a week.

Bet365 representatives announced on Twitter that the New Jersey sports betting website that they have launched is still in its pre-live phase. This soft-launch marks the official entry of the gambling company into the United State’s regulated sports betting market – it had made plans for this move over a year ago and it is just now getting the chance to actualize those plans.

Just like other online casino tests, the test phase that Bet365 is currently in meant to determine whether the digital casino will be able to withstand the pressure of being in such a competitive market. Creating or opening accounts on Bet365’s New Jersey site can be done from anywhere but punters “must be physically located in the state of New Jersey” in order to place bets on the games that the site will be offering.

For this venture, the Hard Rock casino is the affiliated casino property for Bet365 which is an international operator whose headquarters are overseas. Should the sports betting site complete the test without any issues whatsoever, the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement is likely to let Hard Rock Atlantic City fully launch its operations.

Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino officially partners with Bet365 to launch online sports betting in the state last summers and Bet365 was the second of the Hard Rock’s three skins to go live under the casino’s licenses. The other two Hard Rock online betting operations are a Hard Rock-branded site in partnership with Gaming Innovation Group and a Unibet-branded sportsbook in partnership with the Kindred Group.

Offices in New Jersey and Plans for the Other States

Bet365 has been quite aggressive about its plans to extend its footprint in the United States’ gambling market. One of the most significant moves in this regard was the company’s decision to open an office in New Jersey. While its entry into the states online gambling market may seem to be a bit too late, the company has a great global footprint and brand awareness that will give it some traction in the country’s gambling market.

After New Jersey, the company’s next stop will be New York. To Facilitate this, the company has already inked a partnership deal with Empire Resort – the two intend to collaborate to establish a physical sports betting facility as well as an online sportsbook.

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