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It’s official. DraftKings Sportsbook is open for business in New Jersey.
After a few days of an invite-only soft launch, the sports betting mobile app went wide across the Garden State Monday morning.
Currently, it is the only mobile betting app on the NJ sports betting market
DraftKings has no brick and mortar sportsbook presence at its partner casino, Resorts. Nonetheless, it still managed quite the coup, beating major companies like Caesars to the marketplace.
DFS leader aims to be on top in sports betting too
DraftKings is best known as the worldwide leader in daily fantasy sports. While the company will continue to offer DFS, this new vertical is keeping the company’s attention.
Jason Robins, CEO and co-founder of DraftKings, elaborated on how much effort went into the mobile sportsbook product:
“I am excited to begin this new chapter in our story by officially launching what I believe to be the most innovative, mobile sports betting product in the U.S. We have put immense thought and significant resources behind the development of DraftKings Sportsbook and I’m confident that sports fans in New Jersey will enjoy using it to make the experience of watching the games even more interesting and thrilling.”
For several years DraftKings and competitor FanDuel insisted that DFS was not a form of gambling. The companies even waged lobbying efforts and legal battles in states to be regulated as a game of skill. Now, however, both companies are leveraging their database of DFS players to gain a foothold in legal US sports betting markets.
DraftKings Sportsbook way out front of the field
Not only is DraftKings Sportsbook first to the online market, it is still the only app on the market. MGM CEO Jim Murren claimed launch a mobile product last week. That did not happen though.
Even FanDuel is lagging behind. The company launched its land-based sportsbook at The Meadowlands last month. There is no word on when a mobile app could launch though.
Meanwhile, the DraftKings Sportsbook app is already Nevada betting apps, DraftKings Sportsbook features a sleek design with some features that are brand-new to the sports betting world.
As for what’s next for DraftKings, the answer appears to be New York. The company has a partnership with del Lago Casino in the Empire State. It is one of four commercial casinos in New York. As such, it is also one of four properties that have a legal pathway to a NewYork sportsbook.
That partnership should be a boon for DraftKings in the long-run. For now though, the ambiguity about whether or not mobile wagering is legal in New York means you probably won’t see a DraftKings Sportsbook app in New York this year.
