Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City and British bookmaker bet365 have quietly inked a partnership agreement for the provision of sports betting services, a letter issued by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) reveals.
The letter, which PlayNJ first reported about, reads that the gambling regulator has reviewed a joint application by the two parties and that it has approved Article 3 of their joint application for the provision of sports betting. While it is still unknown what Article 3 involves, more details are likely to emerge in the coming days.
It is also understood that Hard Rock and bet365 signed their agreement on June 19, or a little over a week before the grand opening ceremony of what had formerly operated as Trump Taj Mahal. Their partnership received an approval from the local regulator due to expire on July 31, 2018, but the letter indicates that further approvals could be granted. It is also important to note that according to the letter, bet365 has applied for casino service industry enterprise (CSIE) license with the DGE.
It can be said that this latest piece of information, to an extent, ends prolonged speculations whether Hard Rock would jump on the sports betting bandwagon. Officials for the new Boardwalk casino have previously stated that betting was something they have been considering after the US Supreme Court lifted a long-standing federal ban on the provision of that type of activity.
Naming Rights Issue
Hard Rock Atlantic City was one of two casino resort properties to open doors in Atlantic City on June 28, the other being Ocean Resort Casino. Unlike Hard Rock, Ocean’s gaming floor was launched with an operational sports book, jointly run by the casino and British bookmaker William Hill.
During Hard Rock’s casino license hearing before the New Jersey Casino Control Commission in May, Jim Allen, Chairman of the Florida-based gaming and hospitality giant, said that their stadium naming rights deal with the Miami Dolphins and the NFL involved “certain restrictions” in relation to the provision of sports betting, but that they would explore opportunities and would make sure to provide offering of this type at their Atlantic City property in a manner that would not violate their existing contract.
In 2016, Hard Rock sealed an 18-year deal with the Miami Dolphins and the NFL to secure naming rights for the stadium where the team plays its home games. The company agreed to pay $250 million for said rights.
Meanwhile, Hard Rock’s brand new property went live with its online casino earlier this week. The property penned earlier this year an agreement with Oslo-listed gaming company Gaming Innovation Group under which the latter would supply the necessary software for the Internet gaming operation. Hard Rock has also opted for gaming content by casino games developer NetEnt.
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