FanDuel getting in on Atlantic City casino sportsbook game

But somehow, FanDuel — though it has had an online sportsbook deal with Golden Nugget since 2018 — hasn’t had a brick-and-mortar presence in Atlantic City in this third football season of legal betting in the state.

However, that will change by the time the NFL and NCAA playoffs come around just after the end of the calendar year.

On Wednesday, FanDuel announced that it has reached an agreement with Rhode Island-based Twin River Worldwide Holdings to operate a sportsbook in Atlantic City. The new sportsbook will be located at Bally’s — which might confuse a few Boardwalk regulars.

AC properties changing hands
Bally’s currently has The Book, the largest of the city’s eight casino sportsbooks.

But a sale of Bally’s from Caesars Entertainment to Twin River is nearly complete, and part of that deal hands over The Book, in the Wild Wild West section, to the adjoining Caesars casino.

Caesars Entertainment has purchased Tropicana, another Boardwalk property, and selling Bally’s helps the company avoid possible regulatory alarm bells from having four of the city’s casinos under one umbrella. The other Caesars property is Harrah’s, in the Marina District.

Following in the footsteps of the majority of the city’s casinos in 2018, FanDuel is expected to open a temporary sportsbook on the first floor of Bally’s, before launching its permanent book in the heart of the casino floor in the spring of 2021.

William Hill has partnerships for sportsbooks with Tropicana, Harrah’s, and the one-time Bally’s location that will now be part of the Caesars casino. The venerable British bookmaking company this summer completed a merger with Eldorado, and now all three “New Caesars” casinos will feature the same brand.

Ocean Casino Resort’s sportsbook, also under the William Hill brand, became the first such site on the Boardwalk in mid-2018 — coming aboard a few weeks after Borgata, which is located in the Marina District.
William Hill also is the brand at the Monmouth Park racetrack.