Launching in May 2019, BorgataSports is the 14th online sportsbook to launch in New Jersey. BorgataSports will surely attract a lot of bettors due its brand recognition in the state, but does it offer anything different or better than its competitors who launched last year? Well, there are a few elements that bettors will certainly find alluring, including one of the best welcome bonuses of any NJ sportsbook. But we can also pinpoint some areas where the Borgata Sportsbook could do better. Read on for the full review of BorgataSports.

As New Jersey’s biggest hotel and casino resort, the Borgata is obviously well known to the state’s bettors and casino players. The Borgata is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International, but the online sportsbook has been launched in partnership with GVC Holdings, one of the world’s biggest iGaming companies. Both companies enjoy a strong reputation globally in the gaming industry. BorgataSports’ online betting site is fully licensed by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE). Information on those credentials can be found at the bottom of its homepage.

The Borgata online sportsbook sets out detailed information on the security details of the betting platform. Website security, encryption and data protection procedures are managed by Thawte, regarded as one of the world’s foremost internet security experts. 128-bit encryption is used on the site, and the Borgata keeps all of your information confidential, outside of permissions given in the privacy policy.

Since its launch in May 2019, BorgataSports seems to have been well received by industry insiders and bettors. In particular, the range of betting promotions on the site have been highlighted, as well as the customer service and support options. There seems to be very few issues with geolocation (ensuring you are based within New Jersey) or account verification.

All bases have been covered in terms of payment options, including the chance to deposit and collect winnings in cash at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. PayPal is not offered, but Neteller and Skrill are good alternatives. Processing times will vary by method, though you can collect winnings instantly if you go to the casino cage.

Like the sports betting site, the BorgataSports betting app is neatly laid out and minimalistic in its design and organization. We did not find any issues with bugginess or navigation, but some bettors might prefer to have a betting app with a bit more panache. In saying that, the app is perfectly serviceable and easy to use, and it has all the same features as the sports betting website.

You can download the app from the Apple Store, providing your handheld device (iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch) runs on iOS 9.0 or later. To download the BorgataSports app for Android, go to the Borgata site on your mobile device, select Android and the download will begin. The download should take less than a minute, after which you will be prompted to register your account details.

The new bettor welcome offer at Borgata Sportsbook consists of a risk-free bet up to the value of $250. To take advantage of the offer, you must create a verified account with Borgata Sportsbook, make your first deposit and place a wager of $25 or more on sports. If that first wager loses, then BorgataSports will refund it 100% in real cash. As an added incentive to sign up to BorgataSports, new bettors will also get $20 of credit to use in the online casino, which shares a platform with the online sportsbook.

Objectively, the BorgataSports new bettor offer looks like one of the best sign-up bonuses of any NJ online sportsbook. The initial bet is truly risk-free as your refund comes in cash, and there are no restrictions on that refund. Moreover, you also get that $20 bonus to try your hand at some casino games. An excellent welcome package for new sports bettors.

We mentioned earlier that BorgataSports shares a platform with BorgataCasino and BorgataPoker, and for that reason the sports betting promotions are lumped together with promos for casino and poker. However, there are some intriguing promotions specific to online sports betting. We are particularly impressed with the Moneyline Monday promotion, which offers $10 in cash back if your $10 bet loses on a selected game. Other decent promos include $10 worth of casino credit provided you place a $10 sports bet on a Friday.

There are two main criticisms to make of the betting promos at BorgataSports. First of all, we would like to see more lines added to the Boosted Bets section. Enhanced odds and daily price boosts have become an expectation among New Jersey online bettors, yet BorgataSports had but one boosted odds market (for an NFL futures market) when we checked. Although, we should add that BorgataSports will often promote special odds boosts on Twitter hours before a game. Secondly, there seems to be no link between the Borgata’s casino loyalty program – iRewards – and the sportsbook.

The layout and design of BorgataSports’ website, like the sports betting app, has very much followed a minimalist approach: The interface consists of a handful of selected betting lines, your betslip and a promotions banner, as well as compartmentalized links to all the individual sports betting markets. Some bettors might prefer a flashier design – and we must say that BorgataSports looks a little dull – but others might find the simplicity refreshing.

As for the sports covered, you will find football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf, MMA and boxing, as well as some sports more popular outside the US, like cricket and rugby. The overall selection is about average for the New Jersey online betting industry, but we would like to see a bit more coverage of sports like cycling, athletics and winter sports.

Unfortunately, BorgataSports lags behind the best New Jersey sportsbooks when it comes to depth of betting coverage within each sport. Popular US sports leagues like MLB and MLS should have dozens of different betting markets for each game, but we could only find the basic spread, totals and moneyline markets for games in these leagues. That’s a bit disappointing, especially given BorgataSport’s partnership with the vastly experienced online sports betting provider GVC Holdings. We read elsewhere that BorgataSports tended to add more props betting markets in the hours leading up to a major sports game, and while we found some evidence to support this, there is  some room for improvement.

In terms of the quality of odds compared to rival sportsbook, we found that BorgataSports is not as competitive as we would like. We had a look at the futures markets for the 2019/20 NBA Finals and tested BorgataSports against three rival NJ sportsbooks – SugarHouse, FanDuel and 888sport NJ. We found that BorgataSports did not carry any of the best prices for any of the top six teams in the preseason betting lines. For fairness, we looked at another sports league, NFL, and found that BorgataSports did a little better; a top price among all major New Jersey sportsbooks for the Rams to win the NFC Championship, for example. But we would like to see BorgataSports be a little more competitive in odds-setting, and it lags behind some of the best New Jersey sportsbooks for betting value, such as PointsBet and BetStars NJ.

If the basic betting market coverage is not comprehensive, it usually follows that the live betting platform will be also limited. That’s the case with in-play betting at BorgataSports, which could really do with an overhaul. You will find standard live betting lines for games in the big US sports leagues, but there is little in the way of coverage of more niche events. Moreover, there is not the same attention to detail with updated statistics, scores and graphics like you would find with the top live betting sportsbooks such as 888sport and FanDuel. In short, BorgataSports is a fine if all you want is to put an in-play wager on the outcome of a major sports game. But if you are after a live-betting experience, you might want to look elsewhere.