New Jersey sports-betting’s latest news, believe it or not, is that a national food chain is set to get involved. Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) has gone where no other restaurateurs had gone before. It has signed a multiyear agreement with casino operator MGM Resorts International and its online wagering arm, Roar Digital.
The 1,200-unit casual-dining chain stresses that the deal is long-range and will be developed gradually. Customers initially will be given the chance to play PlayMGM’s online sportsbook without actually wagering money. True betting will not begin until well into the NFL football season.
The service has been launched at BWWs in New Jersey for good reason.
New Jersey launch was a no-brainer
New Jersey’s betting industry is flying higher than any other in the US partly because it is one of the few that allows online sports betting.
Sports fans can make free wagers and if they win, will be rewarded with non-cash prizes, including, free food, free loyalty points and free trips to Las Vegas and Atlantic City Casinos.
That arrangement will be duplicated in other states that have legalized online sports betting and will expand further down the line as more and more states join them
The deal includes the opening of Buffalo Wild Wings sports bars inside MGM casinos. This will begin in 2020 at MGM’s Mandalay Bay resort-hotel in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, initial cash-free betting has already started. Online betting can be done anywhere within New Jersey state lines. To claim their winning bet prizes, however, punters will have to do it at a BWW eatery.
“Buffalo Wild Wings has the opportunity to pioneer sports gaming experiences for fans” BWW President Lyle Tick has said in a statement. “We are taking the first critical step on that journey through our partnership with PlayMGM,” he said of what he described as “a landmark relationship”.
