Nevada’s high-powered SuperBookUSA is getting set to move east – and flourishing New Jersey will most likely be its first stop.
This became evident after Jay Kornegay, its executive vice-president of operations, had arrived back from a visit to the New York area last Friday.
Betting-wise Kornegay was not ready to talk about the ‘wheres and whens’ of such a move. He did tell ‘Sports Handle’, however, that he’d be making an announcement on the subject sooner rather than later.
‘Sports Handle’ is claiming a source with knowledge of Kornegay’s expansion plans has singled out New Jersey as being its first stop.
This, of course, is a no-brainer. Of the three Eastern States that have legalized sports betting since the demise of PASPA, New Jersey is clearly the standout.
With sports handle totaling some $2 billion in just 10 months it has far outstripped Philadelphia and Rhode Island.
New York, with potentially the biggest betting market in the USA, is not likely to have it for some time. The ‘fors’ and ‘againsts’ currently waging war there are not likely to let that happen anytime soon.
New Jersey benefitting from close proximity to New York
Meantime New Jersey is benefitting greatly from its close proximity to New York. Its 14 sportsbooks all offer online mobile betting along with in-house wagering at betting windows.
The Wire Act prohibits punters from making online bets across state lines, but this has not deterred New York punters. Every day thousands have been making the short trip across the Hudson River into New Jersey and then betting online.
New Jersey already contains a good mix of US sports gaming prowess and international betting expertise. This through US sports fantasy giants like DraftKings and FanDuel and international powerhouse sportsbooks like StarBets, William Hill and 888sports
Westgate’s SuperBookUSA, however, will not likely be outshone. It will bring its own tried and tested strengths into an already competitive market. One of them is its hugely popular SuperContest, the USA’s most successful season-long, highly-staked NFL betting contest.
On his home turf in Nevada where sports betting has never been illegal, Kornegay is known as one of the state’s top betting visionaries. During his 15 years in the business, he has regularly offered the biggest sports menus in Nevada.
Kornegay responsible for many Nevada betting innovations
He has also been responsible for many of the state’s new betting innovations. It would take pages to list them all, but here are just a few of his notable firsts.
SuperBook was Nevada’s first sportsbook to offer drive-in sports betting windows. It brought Nevada its first million-dollar parlay card. It also beat its competitors into offering bets on all US PGA events besides the four Majors.
Kornegay prides himself, it has been said, on constantly knowing what his customers want and don’t want.
“I try to walk the floor as often as I can. You may not always hear what you want to hear, but I’m out there talking to them whenever I can. That’s what makes the SuperBook successful, the one-on-one attention.”
Kornegay says veteran bookies, John Murray, Ed Salmons, and Jeff Sherman have had a lot to do with SuperBook’s success. “I give them plenty of room to operate and we have an open, creative relationship.”
Kornegay believes New York will ultimately become the largest sports wagering marketplace in the US. He also sees a continuation of the trend in which Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) wagering being “cannibalized” by straight forward sports betting.
Sports fantasy gaming out of New Jersey was at its height shortly before a sports betting was legalized in the Garden State in May 2018. Since then its handle has begun to shrink as sportsbook wagering goes in the opposite direction.
