FanDuel and William Hill start mobile sports betting in New Jersey

FanDuel Sportsbook and William Hill have launched their mobile apps offering sports betting in New Jersey.

Both the apps will have limited access at the initial period of the soft launch, because of the regulations.

FanDuel Sportsbook, based at Meadowlands Racetrack near MetLife Stadium, became the fourth NJ sportsbook to go mobile, joining DraftKings Sportsbook, playMGM and SugarHouse Sportsbook. William Hill quickly followed suit, making the mobile sports betting operator count to five.

It may be late to the party, but FanDuel Sportsbook still hit the mobile market in time for the NFL and college football seasons, though it was a buzzer-beater of sorts.

The in-house-built app developed with a combination of resources from FanDuel and new owner Paddy Power Betfair features the trademark blue and white color scheme of the daily fantasy sports company.

A carousel of suggested bets for users resides on the splash page upon the app’s opening. As players place more wagers, the carousel’s suggestions will more accurately reflect what events on which users might take action.

Like DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel’s app, which will feature in-play and prop bets, allows patrons to have a shared wallet for DFS and sports betting.

What sets FanDuel Sportsbook apart is the Gamecast feature that allows users to closely follow individual events without physically watching the action. The app also allows those outside of New Jersey to see the sportsbook’s lines, though bettors will obviously need to be within Garden State borders to place wagers.

Building on July debut

Initially, Meadowlands targeted a later opening date for its FanDuel Sportsbook. But when New York failed to pass a sports betting bill in June, Gural bumped up his track’s entry into the sports betting world.

“New York did me such a favor by not passing sports betting,” Gural told the Associated Press at the time. “There are 15 million people that live within 20 miles of the Meadowlands.”

Thanks to a partnership with Betfair US — then the American arm of Paddy Power Betfair, which acquired FanDuel to create FanDuel Group — Meadowlands was primed to introduce its DFS-branded sportsbook. Powered by IGT, FanDuel Sportsbook opened its doors July 14.

Even during a dead time of the sports calendar, Meadowlands thrived. Within the first nine days, the racetrack accepted $3.5 million in wagers. In July, the first full month of legalised NJ sports betting, Meadowlands led the five-sportsbook market with over $1.3 million in revenue.

With football season about to kick off, those figures should only trend upward. In preparation for such a boon, Gural hinted earlier this month that a mobile FanDuel Sportsbook will “hopefully” be operational in time for kickoff.

Mobile market expands

Within the past week, DraftKings Sportsbook has received its first bit of competition when it comes to the mobile NJ sports betting market.

For the better part of a month, the state’s first mobile platform reigned as the only online product in New Jersey. That is no longer the case.

Last week, playMGM rolled out its sports betting app, followed a day later by the SugarHouse Sportsbook – the state’s first casino-integrated mobile platform. Now, FanDuel Sportsbook has joined the mix.

Source: playpicks.com