Interactive
US – Yahoo Sports partners with MGM Resorts to launch sportsbook in New Jersey
By William - 18 November 2019
Yahoo Sports has launched its MGM Resorts-backed mobile sportsbook for customers in New Jersey.
Yahoo’s sportsbook will allow New Jersey residents aged 21 and older to place mobile bets through the Yahoo Sports app and website. The app will display betting odds on upcoming games, and users who click to place a bet will be directed to the BetMGM platform.
The programme launched in New Jersey comes weeks after Verizon-owned Yahoo and MGM Resorts announced a partnership on sports betting initiatives. As part of the deal, Yahoo Sports became the official digital media sports partner of MGM Resorts.
Verizon Media’s CEO, Guru Gowrappan, commented on the agreement: “The historic partnership with Yahoo Sports and BetMGM will change the future of fandom, providing new ways for sports fans to go beyond engaging with content and interact through commerce. At Verizon Media we believe in building products that connect consumers to their passions and drive the deepest end-to-end value possible.”
At launch, Yahoo Sportsbook allowed New Jersey users to receive US$100 in free bets after they submitted a $10 deposit. The betting plug-in will become available to customers in other states with legalised mobile sports betting in the near future. Colorado became the 19th U.S. state to legalise sports betting earlier this month. New Jersey posted a record handle of $487.9 million for the month of October, according to the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement. Yahoo Sports has sixty million monthly users in the U.S., according to Verizon.
MGM Resorts partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings to run a sports betting pilot programme in select New Jersey locations in September. Customers will earn perks by using the BetMGM platform at the restaurants.
