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To be among the premier gambling companies in the United States in 2022, such companies need to offer an entire suite of products. Bally’s took another step toward that end recently with the debut of Bally Casino online in New Jersey.
The newest offering from Bally Interactive still needs some work to compare to the most robust online casino platforms in NJ but that’s really no heavy lift. The biggest question in of Bally’s competitiveness involves related segments of the industry.
Bally Casino unveiled in New Jersey
The last day of January 2022 saw Bally quietly take its casino app fully online in NJ. There were no flashy promotions or mass media marketing campaigns.
In fact, the brand’s own dedicated Twitter did not tout the launch. It did retweet a post announcing the app’s launch from the for Bally Bet, its sports betting product.
That isn’t to suggest the product isn’t something Bally Interactive should be ashamed of. It offers most of the standard fare for online casino apps in NJ. That includes a menu of slot titles, video poker, and a handful of video table games.
The big category it’s lacking at the moment is live dealer games. However, that could be shortly remedied. Competing in the Garden State without such offerings is a non-starter, so Bally Casino players should expect them soon.
The array of slot titles should continue to grow with time as well. Whether or not that will be enough to compete for a decent share of the NJ online gambling market, worth over $1.33 billion in revenue last year, remains to be seen.
Bally’s cautious approach to promotion and its connection to its physical property in Atlantic City might have just as much to do with that as to whether it offers players’ favorite slot titles.
Bally’s taking a measured approach to online gaming
At this point, it doesn’t seem like Bally Interactive will suddenly unleash a huge spend on advertising in any market. Beyond the relatively quiet debut of Bally Casino, there’s the company’s intentional delay of taking Bally Bet online in neighboring New York.
To explain that decision, Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim said he expects a,
“Wave of consolidation that will rationalize promotions” and that he thinks “people will stop competing with free money but people will start competing with product.”
In simpler , Bally thinks the cost of doing business in the online gambling space at full bore right now is not only unsustainable but bonkers. It also expects a correction to that situation sooner rather than later.
Also at issue for Bally’s in its online gambling product is a robust connection to its retail properties. Competitors like Caesars and MGM offer s accessible rewards programs that include perks they can use when visiting physical casinos.
In short, online casino players can turn their play into free dining, hotel stays, etc. Just like the live dealer games, that might not be far off for Bally’s customers. Getting Bally Casino off the ground was a step in the right direction for Bally’s future. There are still many more ahead, though.
