[toc]With football season already underway, Caesars Entertainment is ready to try and compete in the sports betting market. The company already has eight Las Vegas sports books. However, it is basically the only major player in the Nevada casino industry without a mobile sports betting app. That will soon change though.
Caesars launching Miomni-powered sports betting app
Rumors surfaced last month that Caesars had a mobile app on the way. Legal Sports Report confirmed those rumors with a Caesars rep last week.
In fact, the soft launch of the app started on Tuesday.
Looking here. @CaesarsEnt sports betting app was just released. pic.twitter.com/MMctxuzb3b
— Marc – EDGeVegas (@MeltzVegas) September 6, 2017
The final product should be available before the year ends.
The app uses one of the most popular software providers for betting apps, Mionmi Software. The company powers most of the major books’ apps, including:
Reno’s lone sports book with an app, Atlantis Casino, also uses Miomni. They were actually the first sports book to operate on the company’s app technology.
Caesars one of the only apps with a Reno/Tahoe presence
As mentioned, Caesars was one of the last holdouts in the sports betting community to not have an app. While Caesars’s sports books were never major players, it became increasingly clear they could not survive without launching an app.
While high rollers and big bettors still place larger bets at the brick and mortar books, the information age means most of the day-to-day wagering takes place online.
With services like Don Best offering up-to-the-minute lines, serious bettors are increasingly relient on apps to get a number before it disappears. The days of line shopping in-person at individual books are gone.
Caesars is jumping into a very crowded pool of products. Additionally, the book is not known for having exceptional lines or action to differentiate itself from the competition.
What does set the company apart is Reno.
Currently only Atlantis and William Hill have a sports book set up in the northern part of Nevada. Certainly the Las Vegas apps work in all parts of the state, but the issue is getting money on and off the site.
Basically every app requires deposits and withdrawals to be done in-person at the brick and mortar sports book. So, while someone can load up money on some of the bigger books in Vegas and then bet from Reno, it is not ideal from a liquidity standpoint.
With Caesars available in both Reno and Lake Tahoe, there is room for them to grab some market share there.
Sports betting apps about planning for the future
Really, this move from Caesars is probably about keeping up with the times. There are also opportunities for the company much further down the road.
Nevada is the only state with sports betting for now. However, the Supreme Court case between New Jersey and the major sports leagues is growing closer. If New Jersey prevails, there is a chance the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) gets overturned, which could lead to other states allowing sports betting within their borders.
Caesars Entertainment is better positioned than a standalone casino like South Point or Westgate to roll out the app across the country. Granted, that is looking very far down the line, as first states would need to authorize sports betting, then would need to sign off on mobile wagering as well.
In the meantime, Caesars is keeping up with the sports book Joneses just in time for NFL kickoff.
