Following approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) BetStars—the sports betting brand from PokerStars—has gone live in New Jersey, marking the first time players in the United States have been able to access the sportsbook. BetStars has partnered with land based Resorts Casino Hotel to bring its brand to life in the state.
Despite removing all public facing content on BetStarsNJ last week, after Poker Industry PRO uncovered the site, BetStarsNJ is now live and available for players on Android and on iOS via the PokerStarsNJ app.
“We are excited to introduce BetStars to New Jersey sports fans,” said Matt Primeaux, SVP Strategy & Operations, USA at The Stars Group. “As one of the largest online gaming companies in the world with millions of customers worldwide, we have successfully launched BetStars in regulated markets across Europe and look forward to expanding and enhancing our New Jersey BetStars offering…”
Spin & Bet Goes Stateside
Taking inspiration from its poker counterpart Spin & Go, BetStars will feature their sports betting variant called Spin & Bet that was first seen back in the dot-com market in 2016. Spin & Bet will allow players to multiply the odds of their bets by up to 10 times the original amount bet amount by taking a random Spin.
BetStars has also launched with early cash out options while bets are still live along with an Odds Boost that multiplies the odds across different games everyday.
A Single Wallet & Generous Sign Up Offer
As mentioned when Poker Industry PRO uncovered the BetStarsNJ website last week, players will have a single wallet under their Stars Account so that they can access their bankroll across all PokerStars poker, casino, and sports betting products.
It has also been confirmed that an introductory sign up offer of $500 in free bets is on offer as well as a free $5 bet each week to any player that bets at least $25 during the introductory period.
There is also a Super Bowl promotion running until September 30 giving 100/1 odds on any team in the NFL winning the game.
Leveraging the Sky Bet Acquisition
In June 2018 The Stars Group completed its acquisition of Sky Betting and Gaming further transforming the group into a multi-vertical online gaming operator.
The acquisition positions The Stars Group as one of the world’s largest publicly listed online gaming companies and it is hoped that “through leveraging the Sky Betting & Gaming acquisition following approval from the UK Competition and Markets Authority, to provide a premier product and experience to our customers in this new and developing market” as said by Primeaux.
888sport Also Available in New Jersey
888sport, a subsidiary of 888 Holdings launched in New Jersey earlier this week, beating its rival The Stars Group to market. Similarly to BetStars this marked the first time 888sport has been available in the United States.
888sport allows bets to be places across mobile, desktop and tablets and also features a single wallet that, like BetStars, allows players to access funds across all verticals which in this case would cover 888sport, 888casino and 888poker.
Who Offers Sports Betting in NJ?
Thanks to a 5+ year partnership with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City and Kindred Group who runs Unibet, a sportsbook offering is expected to launch in the near future from this venture.
DraftKings and its main competitor FanDuel are also live and operating in the New Jersey sports betting market, offering sports betting via a mobile app—currently available on Android.
PlayMGM a mobile sportsbook from Borgata Casino launched in mid August with a single wallet. A SugarHouse sportsbook has also gone live, as has William Hill.
BetStars Expected in Pennsylvania
It has been confirmed that sports betting will be front and center of the partnership inked between The Stars Group and Mount Airy Casino as the pair intends to bring BetStars to the people of Pennsylvania once the state comes online.
It wouldn’t be surprising if what is seen from BetStars in New Jersey is replicated in Pennsylvania when sports betting launches in the state.
Beyond the Stars/Mount Airy partnership, it is all systems go over in Pennsylvania at the moment, as earlier this week SugarHouse Casino and Hollywood Casino were the latest applicants to be approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to offer online gaming to players within the state of Pennsylvania.
The Interactive Gaming Certificates issued this week brings the total number of casinos who have been approved to offer online gaming in the state to five. Harrah’s Casino Philadelphia, Mount Airy and Parx Casino have also been approved.
