Australian sports betting and daily fantasy operator PlayUp has secured a market access agreement to operate in New Jersey.
The operator signed a deal with FR Park Racing, the sports wagering certificate holder and operator of New Jersey’s Freehold Racetrack.
Freehold Racetrack – the oldest track in the US – is owned by Pennwood Racing, a joint venture between Greenwood Racing, Penn National Gaming and Parx Casino.
“We are very excited about the partnership with two excellent brands – Parx Casino and Penn National,” PlayUp USA chief executive Dr Laila Mintas said.
“We are looking forward to establishing PlayUp as a strong and innovative sports betting brand in the US. We are working to launch in New Jersey in the first quarter of this year.”
The operator’s global CEO, Daniel Simic, added: “This is great news and another positive result for our business. We are building strong foundations of technology, systems and partnerships which will enable us to pursue our plans for rapid growth.”
“We look forward to continuing to leverage our industry knowledge and innovative thinking to offer our clients the best possible betting experience in Australia and the US.”
New Jersey is the US’ largest online betting state, and became the first to generate more than $900m in sports betting handle in a calendar month during November 2020.
$872.1m of November’s handle came from online, with $60.0m from retail. The figures were up 16.0% compared to October 2020 and 65.7% higher than November 2019.
After appointing Laila Mintas as chief executive of its US division in July, the operator strengthened its board of directors with the appointment of Dennis Drazin in December 2020. Drazin helped drive the push for legal sports betting in the US as chief executive of Monmouth Park operator Darby Development.
The operator’s online sportsbook was approved for launch in its first US state, Colorado, in July 2020. It secured market access through its partnership with Bull Durham Casino in Black Hawk.