Toronto-based digital media company theScore has announced plans to launch its own online and mobile sportsbook in New Jersey. The platform is planned to launch in mid-2019 and will be powered by sports gambling company Bet.Works.
Monmouth Park Racetrack will be theScore’s land-based sports betting partner as part of a 15-year official licensing partnership. The deal consists of an initial term of five years, and is extendable for two successive five-year terms at the option of theScore. The sports betting app still requires approval from the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement and the New Jersey Racing Commission.
“This is a significant moment for theScore, becoming the first media company in North America to announce its plans to launch online and mobile sports betting in the United States,” said John Levy, Founder and CEO of theScore, in a press release. “Sports betting has long been part of our company DNA in how we’ve delivered content to fans. Providing the ability to actually bet on games is the natural next phase for theScore. We can’t wait to bring a sports betting product to market and capitalize on this exciting opportunity in New Jersey and other regulated states.”
According to Legal Sports Report, theScore’s app has over four million active users per month and sends out 1.5 billion sports-related alerts out to users each month. The mobile app includes information on whether a team is currently covering the spread in its scoring updates.
Bet.Works will supply its “cutting edge sports betting technology” to theScore’s online and mobile betting platforms. As part of a multi-year agreement, Bet.Works will provide management services and casino technology to facilitate the Score’s sportsbook operations.
Founded by David Wang, Bet.Works itself does not yet have an active platform. Wang previously worked as a senior executive for both MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts, where he led the launch of both company’s mobile sports betting offerings. This past August, Wang joined theScore as a senior advisor.
“We are extremely excited about working with theScore,” Wang said in the press release. “They have a huge audience and one of the most comprehensive sports apps on the market, providing the connective tissue between hardcore sports fans and the teams they love. We are confident the Bet.Works team can help theScore to the forefront of mobile sports betting in New Jersey and beyond.”
SportTechie Takeaway
The comments from Wang and Levy suggest theScore hopes to eventually expand its digital sports betting platform in states outside of New Jersey. Online sports betting is only currently legal in Nevada, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. DraftKings, FanDuel 888 Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, and William Hill all currently operate mobile sports betting apps in New Jersey—which led to $174.3 million spent via online sports wagering in the Garden State in October.
Mobile betting legislation has largely stagnated since PAPSA was reversed by the Supreme Court in May. Perhaps theScore entering the online sports betting space will encourage other media companies to follow suit, and eventually pressure states into passing legislation. But for now, theScore may focus mostly on making its mobile sports betting operation successful in New Jersey.