Press of Atlantic City – Fantasy sports betting is still not a reality at the Atlantic City casinos.
Technically, it is not considered gambling, because it is regarded as a game of skill, not a game of chance.
But when the regulations were approved by New Jersey casino regulators in March, fantasy sports betting was touted as a way to attract new gamblers to the struggling Atlantic City market.
Although it sounded like a winner for Atlantic City at that time, it just hasn’t happened. So far, no casinos are offering fantasy sports betting tournaments, representatives of all 12 casinos confirmed.
One executive explained that with fantasy sports betting being so prevalent on major media outlets such as ESPN, it simply would make no sense for the casinos to try to compete with it.
“One of the reasons some of the casinos may not be doing it is, it’s already available to the consumer on a very broad media platform. We would be competing on a national level, which we just can’t do with the ESPNs of the world,” said Joe Lupo, senior vice president of operations at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
Lupo made it clear that Borgata, Atlantic City’s top-grossing casino, has no plans to introduce fantasy sports betting to its customers.
Instead, Borgata runs a sports-themed promotion that allows customers to win $1 million in prizes if they pick the most winners in the National Football League games.
“We have a very successful promotion with football. That’s where we maintain our focus,” Lupo said.
