Florida horse bettors have a new mobile app to wager on.
Caesars Entertainment announced Wednesday morning that the new Caesars Racebook launched in the Sunshine State. Caesars is partnering with NYRA Bets LLC to become the official platform of the New York Racing Association.
The rollout gives Florida horse bettors multiple options to choose from when it comes to online betting. Horse racing and jai-alai are legal. All other forms of sports betting are currently illegal.
Caesars will accept wagers on races worldwide
According to the press release, Caesars Racebook will accept bets from more than 250 tracks around the world. Naturally, the company will feature races from the U.S.’s premier racing venues.
Here are just a few of the notable tracks Florida bettors can wager on:
- Belmont Park
- Saratoga Race Course
- Del Mar
- Santa Anita
- Horseshoe Indianapolis
Caesars is offering new customers a one-time 100% deposit match up to $500.
Racebook will integrate Caesars Rewards
Dan Shapiro, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Caesars Digital, also said that the book would integrate its Caesars Rewards program into the platform. The move marks a shift in the industry as they become one of the first companies to integrate a casino-based rewards program into horse racing.
“The launch of Caesars Racebook is an important milestone as we continue to add wagering opportunities for our customers and livestreaming content for the first time,” said Shapiro. “Caesars Racebook is truly differentiated as the first horse racing advance deposit wagering app to include our award-winning Caesars Rewards loyalty program. We look forward to welcoming new horse racing customers and existing fans onto the platform and to working with NYRA Bets to grow horse racing as we deploy Caesars Racebook with plans to launch in about 30 states across the country.”
MGM announced earlier this year that it would sync its MGM Rewards program with its corresponding online sports betting and casino platforms. However, MGM did not specify that bets in its racebook would qualify.
Launch highlights Caesars’ emerging presence in Florida
Before 2019, Caesars Entertainment didn’t have a property in the state. But after its merger with Eldorado Resorts, the company owned Isle Casino Pompano Park.
Caesars also owns the World Series of Poker brand. Since the company suddenly owned a Florida property, Isle Casino hosted a WSOP Circuit series for the first time last February.
Just a few days after the Circuit stop concluded, Caesars announced that it would be rebranding the Isle to Harrah’s Pompano Beach this fall.
Along with the rebrand, the property is in line for a complete renovation. Caesars announced a partnership with Cordish Co. to build a giant entertainment complex surrounding the casino.
The complex will feature a new hotel, commercial office space, apartment units, a movie theatre, as well as shopping and restaurants. The gaming floor within the casino will undergo an expansion and a new “gaming terrace” will be added outside.
But the terrace comes at the expense of the harness racing track that opened in 1964. The track ran its last race in April with a special match race for charity as part of the farewell.
Is Caesars positioning itself for an entry to Florida sports betting?
At this point, the state of Florida sports betting is old news.
The Seminole Tribe’s gaming compact that briefly legalized sports betting in November is held up in an appeals court. Furthermore, the FanDuel– and DraftKings-backed sports betting ballot initiative failed to get enough signatures for the 2022 election cycle.
But sports betting is almost certainly coming to Florida. It’s just a matter of when and how the market is structured.
If it comes through the compact, Caesars will be able to open a brick-and-mortar book at Harrah’s Pompano Beach.
If the ballot initiative brings sports betting to the Sunshine State, Caesars will be able to operate both an online and retail book. And it will have already established a customer base in South Florida.
