Borgata casino unveils $12m sports bet, nightspot project

Atlantic City’s Borgata casino is investing $12 million in a new sports betting and entertainment project.

Casino officials tell The Associated Press it will open a sports bar and sports betting facility named Moneyline Bar & Book on June 29. The name is a reference to the money line, a method of betting on sports in which a gambler wagers that a team will win its game without having to win by a certain amount of points.

It will also open a bar and lounge named Level One that will be connected to the sports bar.

“We knew we wanted to provide our guests with an experience that was more than a transactional venue for sports wagering,” said Marcus Glover, Borgata’s president and chief operating officer. “We felt Borgata’s guests deserved something that would advance the market by bringing together sports, culinary, entertainment, gaming, and nightlife into a destination experience.

The project will add sports betting capacity to Borgata’s existing race and sports book, which will remain in operation and continue taking sports bets along with horse wagering.

In addition to six sports betting windows, Moneyline will have self-service betting kiosks.

The project will also integrate traditional casino gambling into both venues, with 19 slot machines built into the bar and four blackjack tables at the cocktail lounge.

Last May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey’s decade-long court battle to overturn a federal law that limited legal sports betting to only four of the 50 states. Eight states currently offer it, and several more have recently approved it and are preparing to begin taking bets. And dozens of additional states are considering getting in on the fast-growing industry.

Since sports betting began in New Jersey in June, nearly $2.64 billion has been wagered in the state on sports.

The Borgata was the first New Jersey casino to take a legal sports bet last June 14. AP