Harrah’s Philadelphia Will Roll Out Caesars Mobile Betting App in Pennsylvania This Month

Posted on: September 12, 2019, 09:55h. 

Last updated on: September 13, 2019, 02:18h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Harrah’s Philadelphia is eyeing a Pennsylvania launch later this month of the well-known Caesars mobile betting application, which includes a digital sportsbook. The move would bring the number of online sports offerings in the Keystone State to six.

Harrah’s Philadelphia is set to join the hot Pennsylvania online betting market. (Image: Philadelphia Inquirer)

Caesars Entertainment, the operator of the Chester, Penn. casino, is working with Scientific Games (SG) on the mobile sports betting platform, extending a partnership where the two companies offer similar offerings in several other states, including Indiana and New Jersey. Neither company offered up a specific date for the launch of the mobile sports wagering option in Pennsylvania, but it is expected to go live before the end of this month.

Harrah’s Philadelphia opened a brick-and-mortar sportsbook in January, becoming the sixth such venue in Pennsylvania. Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino opened the first Quaker State retail sports book last November, and was followed by the Rivers and SugarHouse casinos in December.

Data confirm that online gaming and sports betting are growing slices of the Pennsylvania gaming pie.

Online casino game gross revenue, which was launched by three casinos the week of July 15th, totaled $812,306 during the partial month period,” according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). “July’s Sports Wagering total handle from both retail and online outlets was $59,331,959 which generated $2,852,137 in revenue.”

July is the most recent period for which the state’s data are available.

Growth Ahead

The effort by Caesars and SG to get the Harrah’s mobile betting platform operational this month could be well-timed. This weekend marks the third week of college football and Week 2 in the NFL. As Casino.org reported last month, market observers are expecting a massive jump in Pennsylvania’s sports handle, perhaps to $125 million or beyond, thanks to the arrival of football season.

Mobile wagering is big business in Pennsylvania and has some runway for growth. By some estimates, nearly two-thirds of sports wagers placed in the state in July were done online or via mobile devices. That’s a hefty percentage, but trails the roughly 80 percent seen in neighboring New Jersey.

Caesars and SG are also looking to launch mobile betting offerings in Iowa, which recently went live with sports betting, later this year.

All About Mobile

It’s easy to understand why gaming companies want to bolster online sports betting offerings. Not only is it a growth market, but it can help operators reduced dependence on physical sportsbooks, which typically operate on slim margins.

Sports betting usually offers companies margins of just five percent, before expenses, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing Scott Butera, MGM president of interactive gambling.

Mobile and online platforms have greater efficiencies and can reach broader audiences, and analyst estimates confirm that’s where the the growth is at. Earlier this year, industry experts speculated that over the next 10 years, 90 percent of all sports wagers placed in the US will happen on computers or mobile devices.