Sports betting has made an immediate impact in New Jersey since the state allowed sportsbooks to begin taking bets in June 2018. About a half year later, about $1.2 billion overall was bet at New Jersey’s live and online sportsbooks by the end of December.

Yes, that’s billion, with a “B.”

At the forefront of the state’s sports betting boom was the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which opened the first live sportsbook in Atlantic City on the first day sports betting was allowed in the state. An online casino came later under the PlayMGM brand.

Borgata managed to be first by taking an approach most of the city’s casinos followed—opening a temporary sportsbook in the casino’s race book. Borgata is the only casino in Atlantic City that takes bets on horseracing, and the combination seemed a perfect fit.

But now sports betting appears to be here to stay in the Garden State, and Borgata has announced it will build an $11 million facility for sports betting which will combine the casino’s sportsbook with an upscale sports bar.

When it opens in the summer, Borgata will join Ocean Resort Casino in having a fully dedicated sportsbook on property.

“Since Borgata arrived in the Atlantic City market more than 15 years ago, we have maintained a steadfast dedication to property growth and development, with our new concept exemplifying this objective,” Marcus Glover, Borgata president and chief operating officer, said in a press release. “We are proud to have been at the forefront of legalized sports betting in New Jersey and look forward to advancing our product with an innovative gaming and entertainment experience for our guests to enjoy.”

Backed by MGM, which has run sports betting operations in Nevada for more than 25 years, you have to expect that Borgata will be a leader in New Jersey sports betting as well.

But it’s a competitive market, one that pits online betting against a live betting experience.

Towards that end, DraftKings, which opened the first online sportsbook in the state, is making some moves into Borgata’s territory. Namely, DraftKings is offering up casino and slots games at its online site in the state.

It’s a modest effort so far. The site now offers two slots games, video poker and roulette, but DraftKings clearly wants to be more than just a sports-betting destination.

If you can say one thing about the sports betting market in New Jersey, it is exciting. Stay tuned.

Enjoy Borgata’s extensive lineup of games at its iGaming sites. Sign up to play at BorgataCasino.com or BorgataPoker.com.