Looking ahead to 2023, we can’t help thinking about what new NJ online casinos could join the mature NJ gambling market next. After all, it will mark the industry’s 10th anniversary.
Several potential brands could potentially make a 2023 debut as a result of having market access deals with an Atlantic City casino partner.
But having a land-based partnership doesn’t guarantee an online casino will enjoy Garden State success as we have already seen.
MaximBet Casino latest brand to bow out of New Jersey
Look at MaximBet Casino. In June, the company announced a deal with Nicki Minaj as an investor and sports betting ambassador. Add in a market access agreement with Caesars Entertainment and all of the pieces were lining up.
However, Carousel Group, MaximBet’s parent company, has since exited the US online gambling space before ever going live here in NJ.
For now, since launch dates don’t get publicized, we can only speculate what’s next. So here is a closer look at some new online casinos we could see joining the market within the next year with an explanation why. Also, don’t be surprised if a couple of long-standing operators roll out rebrand soon.
PlayUp Casino, Caesars Entertainment still have a deal
This Australian-based operator has a market access deal with Caesars Entertainment. Some might recognize the name thanks to PlayUp Sportsbook, which made a 2021 debut via a land-based partnership with Freehold Raceway.
Adding slots and table games would help with potentially expanding that customer base. However, even if the online gambling product goes live, it’s hard to see PlayUp Casino becoming a top-10 player versus the more established market leaders.
PlayUp also offers a horse betting app in other markets.
Wheel of Fortune will be a new NJ online casino brand
As they say in the entertainment world, Wheel of Fortune Casino is coming soon. The brand is the result of a deal between BetMGM, Sony Pictures Television and IGT. BetMGM has yet to publicly announce a launch date, but the initial announcement included a mention of “coming to New Jersey this year.” Obviously, that target date has come and gone.
With Wheel of Fortune being an extremely popular slot title, this could be the most successful of the new casinos.
Plus, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa/BetMGM combination seems to keep getting stronger. The license holder has reported $452.6 million in NJ online casino revenue through November, marking a 20.7% year-ver-year increase.
Who is Novibet?
Out of the names on this list, Novibet Casino is the one most likely to trigger a “Who?” reaction. However, this is not one of those made-up names we just decided to throw into this post to see if anybody noticed.
Actually, the European gaming provider has a market access deal with Caesars Entertainment. When the Novibet news was announced over the summer, George Athanasopoulos, company CEO, spoke specifically about the New Jersey and Pennsylvania markets:
“We’re pleased with our progress against this initiative as evidenced by our expanded partnership with Caesars Entertainment that now provides us with market access to New Jersey and Pennsylvania to address the significant OSB and iGaming opportunities in those states.”
Will 2023 mark the debut of the rebranded SI Casino?
Rebranding is part of the NJ online casino game. We saw it earlier this year with PlaySugarHouse becoming BetRivers. And there have been several others over these past nine years.
The reason SI Casino makes the list is because the product is currently live as 888 Casino – one of the originals that made a Nov. 2009 debut. Operating under the Caesars Interactive license, it makes more sense going with a universal brand name versus using one for casino and another for sports betting. Around this time last year, 888 stopped taking NJ bets to make way for SI Sportsbook. The changeover remains in limbo.
The upside is no matter if and when the renaming takes place, SI will not be starting from scratch.
Still playing the Tropicana online casino name game
Technically speaking, Tropicana online casino is live just under a different name. If you open up the app today, it has the Caesars Casino branding (not to be confused with the Caesars Sportsbook and Casino platform). This is not the case of Caesars doubling down on the NJ online casino market.
Remember, Tropicana previously used the Gamesys platform. That was before the company merged with Bally’s Corp. Fast-forward to today, and Trop is using the Light & Wonder software. The Tropicana rebranding, originally planned for summer, remains a work in progress.
We are still awaiting word if and when the name change will finally happen in 2023.
PlayNJ will provide any updates as more information becomes available.
