Resorts Casino Atlantic City Shutters Online Sportsbook, DraftKings Continues Retail

Posted on: February 14, 2022, 01:48h. 

Last updated on: February 15, 2022, 10:41h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City has powered down its online sportsbook.

Resorts Casino Atlantic City sports betting
Guests arrive at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The casino has announced that it will no longer be running an online sportsbook, and will instead allow its iGaming partners to handle such internet betting activity. (Image: Getty)

Effective today, February 14, Resorts is no longer taking action through its ResortsCasino.com sportsbook. The platform’s interactive slots and table games, as well as live dealer offerings, will continue to operate. But the website’s sportsbook has been shuttered.

Resorts Casino doing away with its own online sportsbook isn’t exactly surprising. Gaming analysts are expecting a consolidation of sorts in 2022, as the national markets begins to settle in.

The Resorts-branded online casino says its sportsbook will remain accessible until March 1, 2022, for players to view their open bets and account status. The iGaming site says all outstanding bets will be honored and settled once the sporting event has been completed. Any remaining balances will be returned to the patron by way of their preferred withdrawal method.

Resorts’ online casino is powered by third-party software supplied by NYX Gaming, which has been a subsidiary of Scientific Gaming since 2017.

Sports Betting Consolidation

Thirty states have legal sports betting operational. That number is expected to climb by a handful or so this year.

Any sports fan who has watched a game on television in recent months is well aware that there’s an abundance of sportsbooks seeking market share. Along with the familiar names such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook, the emerging internet sports betting space has attracted newcomers with little brand recognition. Mobile sportsbook operators like BetRivers, PointsBet, and Tipico are also spending heavily to attract bettors.

Merger and acquisition activity is going to continue to be robust, not only in the short term, but in the long term as well,” said Brendan Bussman, director of government affairs for Las Vegas-based Global Market Advisors. Bussman’s firm is a leading gaming, sports, and hospitality research consultancy.

Resorts iGaming Leader

Resorts Casino is generating more gross gaming revenue (GGR) online than at its brick-and-mortar property in Atlantic City. Through its Resorts Digital interactive unit, the casino reported iGaming and mobile sports betting GGR of more than $450.7 million in 2021. Resorts’ physical casino floor and sportsbook won $168.6 million.

Resorts Digital ranked second last year among the eight iGaming licensees operating in New Jersey. Resorts trailed only MGM Resorts/Borgata, which won around half of a billion dollars online.

Along with its own iGaming website, Resorts’ New Jersey gaming license has been extended to third-party operator DraftKings, FOX Bet, and Barstool Sportsbook. Those online sportsbooks are tethered to Atlantic City by way of Resorts Casino.

Resorts has undisclosed revenue sharing arrangements in place with the online operators. Despite not having to share its online revenue from its own ResortsCasino.com site, the income generated from the sportsbook was apparently too little to warrant continuing on with its operation.

Resorts Casino Hotel guests in Atlantic City can still place a sports wager while at the property. One of Resorts’ online partners — DraftKings — runs the casino’s on-site sportsbook.

The DraftKings Sportsbook at Resorts is a 5,000-square-foot facility featuring a 15-foot-high HD video wall, 18 betting kiosks, and VIP seating area with food and beverage service.