When Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City opened along the Boardwalk on June 28, it did so without a sportsbook. However, Hard Rock’s days on the sidelines of the burgeoning New Jersey sports betting game are clearly numbered.
In 2016, parent company Hard Rock International inked a deal with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins giving Hard Rock naming rights to the team’s stadium.
Hard Rock president Matt Harkness told reporters at the casino’s opening the company was focused on the big day and would look at sports betting in the future. However, most understood the NFL’s reluctant approach to sports betting and doing business with casinos may have had something to do with there being no sportsbook there.