Resorts makes bid for fall sports betting in New Jersey

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Add Resorts casino to the list of gambling companies that want to offer sports betting in New Jersey by the time football season starts in September.

Casino President Mark Giannantonio told The Associated Press on Tuesday his company met the deadline by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement to apply for sports betting this fall.

The DGE wanted applications in by the end of the day Monday in order to give regulators enough time to assess them before football starts.

So far, two Atlantic City casinos, the Borgata and Ocean Resort, and two horse tracks, Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands, offer sports betting.

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The Golden Nugget has applied for in-person and mobile sports betting. Hard Rock is awaiting approval of its application, and the three casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment have applied for in-person betting, mobile betting or both. In-person betting would be held at Harrah's and Bally's (which also would service the adjacent Caesars casino), and the company would offer mobile sports betting aligned with all three of its Atlantic City casinos.

Officials at the Tropicana did not immediately respond to a request for comment on their sports betting plans. The casino and its parent company are in the process of being sold to Eldorado Resorts.

There are 14 potential sports betting licensees: the nine Atlantic City casinos, the three functioning racetracks (Monmouth Park in Oceanport, the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, and Freehold Raceway in Freehold), and two former track sites (Atlantic City Race Course in Mays Landing and the former Garden State Park site in Cherry Hill).

Officials at Freehold's parent company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.