New Jersey online market welcomes virtual sports betting

Online virtual betting is the latest product to debut in New Jersey’s regulated online gambling market, although what kind of reception the product will receive remains to be seen.

On Wednesday, Rush Street Interactive launched online and mobile virtual sports and racing via its New Jersey online gambling site, PlaySugarHouse.com. The product was designed by Inspired Gaming, which has carved out a lucrative niche supplying virtual sports to both land-based and online bookmakers across Europe.

Late last year, Inspired received approval to operate virtual sports terminals in Nevada but the New Jersey launch represents the first time the product has been made available online in the United States. Two other New Jersey online operators, Resorts Digital Gaming and the Golden Nugget, have plans to launch similar products in the near future.

Even in European markets where actual sports betting is permitted, virtual sports betting has proven popular, particularly in the UK and Italy. The latter market’s retail betting shops reported virtual sports betting turnover of nearly €1.2b through the first 10 months of 2017, compared to slightly more than €3.5b in ‘real’ sports wagers.