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PlayMGM has become the second New Jersey online gambling site to launch a mobile sports betting app.
As of Aug. 22, the Android version of the app can be downloaded from the playMGM site. A full review will have to wait until we can take a look inside, but it should be similar to the app the company has available in Nevada.
The Nevada app was created in partnership with gaming technology provider IGT which makes it unique in the market.
Not only has it got a different user interface, but it also sends user a text message every time they place a wager.
Wagers are available for almost everything that’s in the MGM Resorts sportsbook.
On the other hand, Nevada sports betting odds probably won’t make the transition. Sources tell us that New Jersey odds will be set independently of those at playMGM in Nevada.
While playMGM has made Android the first platform available, iOS will not be far behind. The internet address currently shows a “page not found” message, but on July 31 this year it was loaded with content that signaled playMGM’s intentions.
playMGM is not using its GVC partnership to the fullest
Notice that the app text identifies that the sports betting is only available in “Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and United Kingdom,” and NOT New Jersey.
Also significant is that these apps are provided through Bwin, one of GVC’s most important European brands. It looks like playMGM might not be using the Bwin partnership for its first foray into mobile sports betting in New Jersey.
In the Garden State, MGM is present in the form of the Borgata Hotel and Casino, which is partnered for online casino and poker with GVC’s PartyPoker. The Borgata was one of New Jersey’s first casinos to launch a sportsbook, and was in business on day one of New Jersey state-regulated sports betting.
The MGM lion has gotten frisky since the Supreme Court ruled that PASPA was unconstitutional, so opening the door to state-regulated sports betting.
August has been a busy month for MGM Resorts. They announced strategic deals with Boyd Gaming and a joint venture with GVC which will see MGM capable of launching online and/or land-based sports betting, casino and poker in as many as 15 states.
As part of the joint venture with GVC, the company plans to use the playMGM brand. However, today’s launch indicates that it’s not yet ready to fully integrate GVC’s technology.
More new online sportsbooks expected soon
DraftKings Sportsbook was the unexpected winner of the race to launch mobile sports betting in New Jersey, but it won’t have the market to itself for very long. PlayMGM is just the first in a line of mobile sportsbooks expected to kick off before the start of football season.
In an interview with Legal Sports Report, New Jersey’s top regulator David Rebuck said:
“We’ve got a lot of mobile products in the lab now and we’re very anxious and optimistic that before the end of the month we’re going to have a few more out there in New Jersey.”
Caesars, Harrah’s, FanDuel Sportsbook and SugarHouse are some of the front-runners to launch next according to the industry rumor mill.
If the new opportunities in sports betting do shake up the market as much as analysts expect, MGM plans to be a winner in the new world.
