Betfair partners with Golden Nugget in New Jersey
Online operator will use Golden Nugget's online gaming licence to continue operating its BetfairCasino.com site in the state
Betfair has secured its long-term future in the regulated New Jersey egaming market by entering a partnership with land-based operator Golden Nugget, pending approval from the New Jersey regulator, eGaming Review can exclusively reveal.
The deal will see Betfair use the Golden Nugget’s interactive gaming permit to continue operating its BetfairCasino.com site to players in the state, after former land-based partner Trump Plaza closed its doors in September.
Online operators are required to partner with a land-based Atlantic City casino, under state gaming regulations.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) stepped in to help safeguard Betfair’s future by allowing the online operator to continue using the Plaza’s licence despite its closure, but said it needed to find a new bricks-and-mortar partner.
Last month Betfair announced it had signed a six-month deal with Caesars Interactive for the US firm to host its online gaming servers while it searched for a new land-based partner.
“We are very excited to move our operations to Golden Nugget Atlantic City, one of the premier resort destinations in New Jersey,” Don Ryan, president of gaming for Betfair US, said.
“With this relationship, Betfair and Golden Nugget are well positioned to accelerate growth in 2015 and beyond,” he added.
“We welcome Betfair to the Golden Nugget. The combination of our complementary brands will allow Golden Nugget Atlantic City to cater to an even larger demographic of NJ online players,” Thomas Winter, VP of online gaming at Golden Nugget, said.
Earlier in the year the DGE revealed it had increased the number of platforms a land-based operator can run off its interactive gaming permit from one to five, allowing bricks-and-mortar operators like Golden Nugget to run other brands alongside their own online offering.
California-based Pala Interactive revealed last week it had joined forces with the Borgata and the firm is expected to launch its PalaCasino.com offering in the next week or so.
Betfair was the only online operator to see month-on-month growth in New Jersey in October, with revenues up 11.5% to $855,869. Golden Nugget saw revenues from its GoldenNuggetCasino.com site dip 9% to $1m.