App takes its first wager
Resorts World New York City has launched its mobile sports betting app, Resorts WorldBET. It is now the eighth of nine approved operators to go live in New York following the legalization of mobile betting earlier this year.
accepted its first wager on Thursday
According to an official news release, Resorts WorldBET accepted its first wager on Thursday, having taken to Twitter the day before to encourage bettors to download the app:
The launch of the mobile sportsbook complements Resorts World’s investment of nearly $1m into installing digital displays at its property in Jamaica, Queens, with everything in place for NY bettors to enjoy the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Resorts WorldBET’s debut leaves just Bally Bet as the lone approved mobile sports betting holdout in New York, with the sportsbook planning on rolling out after March Madness.
Sportsbook king of Queens?
Resorts World has now joined its Genting Group-owned sister properties in the Catskills and Las Vegas in rolling out sportsbooks. Genting Americas East president Robert DeSalvio said player feedback and experience gained from operating in the other two locations enabled his firm to:
deliver what New Yorkers really want in a mobile sports betting app.”
In a news release, Genting Americas East chief marketing officer Darlene Monzo expressed her excitement over the launch of the PointsBet-powered app. Monzo said bettors can either wager “from the comfort of their couch, or in the big-screen environment of Bar 360 in Queens, or Sportsbook 360 at Resorts World Catskills.”
New York is a promotional battleground for big-name sportsbooks looking to capture market share in the US’s most populous state to legalize sports betting. As a result, Resorts World is offering new customers aged 21 or over a “risk-free” bet of up to $500.
NY makes ground
New York has taken little time to become the US’s top dog in online sports betting. According to the New York State Gaming Commission (NYGC), mobile sportsbooks raked in $1.63bn in handle for January, with gross gaming revenue (GGR) at $113m. Thanks to New York’s steep 51% tax rate on GGR, a staggering $57.6m in taxes swelled the state’s coffers for the first month of 2022.
What makes this even more astounding is that the NY mobile sports betting market only went live on January 8, with just DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, and Rush Street getting the NYGC’s nod to launch at the time. BetMGM joined the New York party on January 17, with PointsBet launching January 24, and WynnBET on February 3.