A new player in New Jersey’s sports betting market is the media company behind theScore mobile sports information app, which has just signed a partnership with the operator of the state’s Monmouth Park Racetrack
The deal was announced for 15 years with an initial five-year period that can be extended for two more consecutive five-year periods at the discretion of theScore. Darbby Development LLC, which operates the track, would receive a portion of theScore’s sports betting revenue.
Online sports betting companies in New Jersey must partner with either a racetrack or casino approved for sports betting in the state. The deal is pending regulatory approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the New Jersey Racing Commission.
If the deal is approved, theScore would become the first media company to offer mobile and online sports betting in North America, the company said.
“Our approach to serving our viewers has always been open, authentic and honest” theScore founder and CEO John Levy told Forbes magazine. “We have always felt that sports wagering and betting was just one of the natural ways people engage with sports. Naturally, it was a part of everything we did. People are passionate about sports. Sports betting is just one facet of why and how they are passionate about it. Why wouldn’t we talk about it?”
TheScore began as a Canadian television network and entered the mobile app market in 2007. The company says it currently has 3.7 million active users. Levy said that he company, however, has always prepared for a move into sports betting.
“We always stay clean, never did anything we shouldn’t do, but always hoped that at some point, with the realization that people want to bet on sports in more places than just Las Vegas over a counter was going happen. And that’s exactly what happened when PASPA was repealed,” Levy told the magazine.
“We’ve been looking at this and studying this for a whole bunch of years,” he said. “This is not something that just sort of happened and we said ‘Hey, we should get into this’. This is in our DNA. Our user base across the states is huge and highly engaged.”
TheScore’s main app already provides betting information and the company recently introduced a “betting information” tab on their NFL section.
“We’ve been working for a while on how we can enhance our media offerings to support a legalized gaming environment, and we are going to continue to do that on the media app” Levy said. “In terms as to what those crossover points between the media and betting, we have lots of ideas and it will be exciting to roll those out in 2019.”
In another matter concerning Monmouth Park, the New Jersey State Senate passed a bill that would guarantee a five-year, $10 million annual purse subsidy for the racetrack.
Beginning in 2019, the bill would set aside $20 million per year out of the state’s general fund to be divided equally between the state’s Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries. Because Monmouth Park is the only operating Thoroughbred racetrack in the state, it would receive all of the thoroughbred allotment. The Meadowlands Racetrack and Freehold Raceway would split the harness racing subsidy.
The bill would replace an about $17 million subsidy to the industry which was discontinued under former Governor Chris Christie.
The bill now goes to the State Assembly.
The State senate also passed a bill that make people recovering from addiction eligible to work in casinos when they may have previously been denied positions because of criminal records with drug-related offenses.
The bill applies to persons convicted of drug offenses who are enrolled or completed state probationary programs for addiction recovery.
The bill also moves on to the State Assembly.
Finally, DraftKings, which offers online sports betting in the state through a partnership with Resorts Casino in Atlantic City, has now launched an online casino platform at its site. At present, the site only offers online blackjack, but other casino games are expected. DraftKings, however, is not expected to offer online poker.
