What do you think about a FanDuel Sportsbookat the center of the Atlantic City Boardwalk?
Bally’s Casino Atlantic City. Take a walk along Atlantic City’s famous Boardwalk, and you can’t help but notice the Bally’s Casino Atlantic City. Since opening in 1979, this 1,750-room complex has become one of the largest and most famous casinos in the United States.
Stop thinking.
The NJ sports betting market leader announced plans for the debut of a FanDuel Sportsbook inside of Bally’s Atlantic City. Details of the partnership between Twin River Worldwide Holdings (TRWH), the pending new owner of the 40-year-old hotel and casino, and FanDuel Group was announced earlier today via a press release.
The deal is pending licensing and regulatory approvals from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).
Twin River is in the process of purchasing Bally’s from Caesars Entertainment and VICI Properties.
For FanDuel, the deal gives the company a strong presence in North and South Jersey. The brand currently operates in the Garden State via the Meadowlands Racetrack license.
When will FanDuel Sportsbook at Bally’s open?
Well, the question comes with a two-part answer.
Looking to get a bigger piece of NFL betting action, FanDuel plans on opening a temporary retail space by the end of 2020. It will be located on the casino floor.
The permanent sportsbook is targeted for a spring 2021 opening.
Here is what Matt King, CEO of FanDuel Group, has to say about the deal.
“The FanDuel Sportsbook is the clear market leader in New Jersey and we are excited to expand our retail footprint in the state to now include Atlantic City,” said King. “We are excited to get started and be a key piece in Twin River Worldwide Holdings transformation of the iconic Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel and Casino.”
Once it goes live, all nineAtlantic City casinos will have a retail sportsbook, and bring the statewide total to 12.
FanDuel and Twin River share a Colorado connection
This is not the first time FanDuel and Twin River are working together. The two companies have ties in the Colorado market. FanDuel runs the online operations for Golden Gates Casino, another TRWH property.
“We currently already have a FanDuel Sportsbook app and online experience in Colorado at another TRWH property,” said George Papanier, president and CEO of Twin River.
“They are great partners and we are thrilled to work with them in another exciting, gaming-centric market like Atlantic City. The permanent sportsbook location is going to be one of the many exciting changes we have in store for the Bally’s property – a unique location just steps away from center Boardwalk where millions stroll by annually.
“We look forward to breaking ground on this new space as soon as the closing is final.”
The FanDuel deal means Bally’s will have three online skins operating under its license. This is the max number permitted under DGE regulations.
Esports Entertainment Group and Sporttrade, which do not have the brand recognition, are the other pending operators.
Why opening a FanDuel Sportsbook makes sense
Bally’s is currently home to AC’s largest retail operation.
The William Hill Sportsbook at Wild Wild West is 15,228 square feet. However, once the deal is done, Caesars will maintain ownership of the Wild Wild West Casino.
So replacing arguably the best book in AC, if not the entire state, requires something big.
And it doesn’t get much bigger than FanDuel. The operator has already mastered the art of attracting Empire State bettors. The Meadowlands Racetrack is about a 30-minute drive from New York City with traffic.
The state is still trying to pass mobile sports betting legislation. As a result, FanDuel continues to attract NYC bettors. When those some customers decide to make a weekend trip to AC, watching a game at the FanDuel Sportsbook will be an option.
They will be the second NJ operator to have multiple retail locations.
William Hill (Wild Wild West, Tropicana, Harrah’s, Ocean, and Monmouth Park) is the other.
Next steps for Bally’s Atlantic City
So while all this news is exciting, here’s the big question:
When will Twin River be getting the keys to Bally’s AC?
The answer could come as soon as next week.
The Casino Control Commission has a special hearing scheduled for Wed., Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. And the only item on the agenda is to address the petition of Premier Entertainment, AC, LLC, for interim casino authorization.
The company is a subsidiary of Twin River Worldwide Holdings.
What we do know is the Bally’s AC name is staying.
Actually, on Nov. 9, TRWH will become Bally’s Corporation.
Regarding the future of its pending AC property, things are looking much brighter with the addition of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Bally’s Atlantic City is still connected with Caesars, but the two properties are now separately owned.
Bally’s Corp. (previously known as Twin River Worldwide Holdings) now officially owns the hotel and casino located at Park Place and the Boardwalk.
The announcement was made via press release.
Earlier, this month, the Casino Control Commission approved Bally’s interim casino authorization. A full casino license will come at a later date.
More about Bally’s AC sale
The sale of Bally’s AC- which was announced in April- completed Wednesday.
VICI and Caesars will split the proceeds from the $25-million transaction.
The focus is now on restoring a brand with a storied history.
George Papanier, president and CEO of Bally’s Corp. commented on the company’s AC plans:
“We strongly believe in the potential of the Atlantic City market and are confident that we can restore Bally’s to its former glory,” said Papanier. “We are pleased to close on this transaction, which represents the latest addition in our ongoing portfolio diversification strategy, and look forward to implementing our capital improvement plans to completely renovate the property with first-in-class amenities and offerings.
“We have a proven track record of implementing strategic initiatives at acquired properties in order to drive growth and revenue improvements, and plan to bring the iconic property to a level not seen in years.”
Bally’s is committed to $90 million in upgrades over the next three years.
Specific projects and timelines will be announced soon. Restaurants, hotel rooms, and convention space are among the many areas that will be addressed.
But the new owner is ready to pump new life into the aging facility. At 41 years (on Dec. 29), it’s the third oldest behind Resorts and Caesars.
FanDuel teaming up with Bally’s AC
At the moment, Bally’s does not have any skin in the NJ sports betting game. This is expected to change before the year comes to a close.
The company is partnering with FanDuel Sportsbook to run its retail sportsbook operation.
The temporary space, which will be located on the casino floor, is targeted for a late 2020 opening.
A permanent FanDuel Sportsbook debut is planned for 2021. Plans call for it to replace the former Blue Martini lounge area located off the casino floor.
And that’s just the retail sports betting plans.
On the mobile side, there are two strategic patrnerships:
- Esports Entertainment Group
- Sporttrade
There are no details regarding potential launch dates.
A Bally’s-branded app, which currently doesn’t exist, is highly likely for the third skin.
Bet.Works + NJ sports betting plans
Receiving the keys to the its AC Boardwalk property is just one of the deals Bally’s Corp. announced Wednesday.
The company also has an agreement to acquire Bet.Works, a U.S. based, sports betting platform provider, for $125 million. Bet.Works currently works with operators in New Jersey (theScore Bet), Iowa, Indiana and Colorado.
According to the press release, Bet.Works will provide Bally’s with a suite of advanced omni-channel products, platforms, software and content solutions. And this will enable the operator to “deliver unrivaled sports betting and iGaming offerings to customers on a national scale.”
Here is what Soo Kim, chairman of Bally’s Corporation’s board of directors, has to say about the company’s evolution.
“By combining our expanding national footprint of casinos, the recently acquired Bally’s brand, and Bet.Works’ proprietary technology stack, we have evolved in just a few short years from a regional casino operator into the first U.S. gaming company committed to serving our customers with an omni-channel approach, combining the best of our physical properties with a superior online experience,” said Kim.
Bally’s and Sinclair Broadcasting deal
Wheeling and dealing is the theme of the week. The company also revealed details of a strategic partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Through this deal, Bally’s will integrate content into the 190 television stations that Sinclair owns, operates or provides services.
Here are a few key components to the deal:
- Sinclair and Bally’s will jointly market, design and integrate products on a state-by-state basis, and deliver one-of-a-kind online gaming experiences to local audiences.
- 21 Fox regional sports network brands will be rebranded using the Bally’s name.
- Bally’s will gain extensive access to Sinclair’s network of local, live sports content as the unified network brand and integrated partner across 21 regional network.
So Bally’s Atlantic City is a major piece of the puzzle. At the same time, Bally’s Corp. is thinking outside the New Jersey box.
Bally's Online Casino In Nj
Here in the Garden State, the focus will be on the prime real estate sitting at Park Place and the Boardwalk.