- FanDuel has opened their permanent retail location at Bally’s Atlantic City.
- A temporary sportsbook opened in December 2020.
- The property was previously owned by Caesars Entertainment which sold it to Twin River Worldwide Holdings in November 2020.
- Twin River subsequently rebranded as Bally’s Corporation.
Back in December, FanDuel launched what was their first retail sportsbook in the Atlantic City market. The temporary location at Bally’s Atlantic City was on the first floor of the property right off the Boardwalk but was modest by modern standards. That’s all changed as FanDuel and Bally’s Corporation (NYSE: BALY) held the grand opening of the permanent location late last week.
The timing of the launch was no coincidence at is was planned to coincide with the start of the NCAA basketball tournament aka ‘March Madness’. A press release announcing the launch was jointly issued by Bally’s and FanDuel and here’s how they described the revamped sportsbook:
The FanDuel Sportsbook’s permanent location opened to the public just in time for the madness of college basketball to begin. The FanDuel Sportsbook at Bally’s Atlantic City is conveniently located by the Northern boardwalk casino entrance and as customers enter, they will be greeted by two large video walls and multiple betting kiosks. The inside of the sportsbook features a central 25-foot-wide state-of-the-art LED video wall, flanked by two 10-foot-wide LED video walls on either side and 10 video displays so fans will never miss out on the action. Fans can place sports wagers at five betting windows or use one of twenty IGT PlaySports self-serve betting kiosks. FanDuel will provide its proprietary risk and trading technology that leverages the IGT PlaySports platform to offer bets on all major U.S. sports, including professional football, basketball, baseball, tennis, MMA, soccer, golf, motorsports racing and more.
The new FanDuel Sportsbook features a curated food and beverage menu, with modern, pub-style fare ranging from Truffle Tots and Smash Burgers to Spicy Edamame and their Curveball Club sandwich, smothered with Basil Aioli. Guests can also treat themselves to a selection of craft and local beers at the iPourIt® self-pour beverage dispenser beer wall, along with thoughtful specialty cocktails.
This is FanDuel’s second retail location in New Jersey–the other location is one of the most high profile and lucrative in the US sports betting industry at the Meadowlands Racetrack located in East Rutherford just an hour away from New York City. Based on handle through the first 11 months of 2020 it took in $173.3 million of the $332.1 million earned by New Jersey retail sportsbooks.
Andrew Kleiman, Senior Director of Operations, FanDuel Group, is pleased to be working with Bally’s at their Atlantic City property:
“We are privileged to partner with Bally’s Corporation to open our FanDuel Sportsbook inside Bally’s Atlantic City. The legacy of Atlantic City and excitement of being steps away from the boardwalk creates a unique atmosphere for our customers. We look forward to a successful future with our new partner and community.”
George Papanier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bally’s Corporation, is one of our favorite gaming industry executives and he’s happy to get the permanent FanDuel location opened:
“The new FanDuel Sportsbook at Bally’s AC is the fifth retail sportsbook we have opened in the last couple years. We now operate sportsbooks in Rhode Island, Colorado, Delaware, Mississippi, and New Jersey – we are thrilled to be in this market and to give our guests an incredible sportsbook experience, right off the boardwalk and our gaming floor.”
This isn’t the first collaborative effort between FanDuel and Bally’s–back in May 2020 they partnered to launch FanDuel’s mobile app in Colorado. The company was then known as Twin River Worldwide Holdings and FanDuel launched their mobile presence in conjunction with the Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk. Bally’s also owns the Golden Gulch Casino and Mardi Gras Casino in Colorado.
At the time of publication, James Murphy has a long position in BALY.
