Legalized sports betting gears up for NFL season

Two Atlantic City, N.J., casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment will start taking sports bets this week, while another two Ceasars operations in Mississippi will do so in mid-August, just in time for the start of the NFL season. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in May to permit states to legalize sports betting, dozens of gambling companies have applied for licenses to operate in New Jersey, hoping to get in on the multibillion-dollar opportunity. Also, Las Vegas–based MGM Resorts International is discussing a joint venture worth a reported $200 million with Britain’s GVC Holdings, one of the world’s largest sports betting companies. Sports betting is already legal in Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware and 19 other states are working toward legalizing it.