Caesars Entertainment’s Puerto Rico Online Sportsbook Plans Approved

Article ByDavid Weir

June 28, 2023

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Casino News, US Gambling News

Caesars Entertainment, in partnership with Casino Metro (pictured), is expanding its sports betting operations in Puerto Rico into the online space.

The move comes after the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission (PRGC) approved two new online sports betting licenses this week, including Caesars. That brings the total number of online betting operators in the unincorporated US territory to three.

Caesars was granted a license at the same time as operator Stadium, under the WinIn brand. They will join MGM Resorts International’s Bet MGM, which launched an online sportsbook on the island earlier this month.

Caesars and BetMGM have had existing retail betting venues on the sites of their respective casino partners since 2022.

Three Operators For Now

BetMGM, in partnership with Casino del Mar, was the first to launch an online sportsbook in the region earlier this month.

“BetMGM is ecstatic to become the first operator to deliver mobile sports betting to Puerto Rico,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt at the time. “This great collaboration between local officials and Casino del Mar provides a safe, responsible, and entertaining product accessible from anywhere on the island.”

Caesars and WinIn will be the next two operators to launch, with only two more licenses up for grabs.

Caesars, like MGM, will partner with a local Puerto Rican casino for its sports betting operation. In this case, it’s with Casino Metro.

The San Juan casino is “the largest casino in Puerto Rico, strategically located in the heart of the San Juan Convention District, at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel,” according to its website’s “About” page.

The second new operator, WinIn, will not be partnered with any local casino. It will be working with experienced UK-based slots maker International Game Technology (IGT) to power its operation.

Satisfactory Gaming Experiences

The PRGC has issued 30 online gambling licenses since the island’s Legislative Assembly legalized retail and online sports betting in 2019.

Those licenses cover five operators who deal with customers and front-end operations, and 25 service providers, such as software developers.

The regulator is reviewing about 50 more applications for licenses, the majority of which are for service providers rather than operators.  

This means that, for now, BetMGM, Caesars, and IGT will control the sports betting market in Puerto Rico.

The PRGC’s executive director, Jaime Rivera Emmanuelli, is confident that the licensing will promote the development of a responsible industry.

“One of the advantages of online gambling sites is their high level of security,” he said.

“In Puerto Rico, the Gaming Commission is in charge of regulating, monitoring, and controlling the activities of online betting operators, so that users have a satisfactory gaming experience.”

International Significance

One of the requirements for operators is to implement geofencing to create a virtual geographic betting boundary.

This allows the PRGC to control where platforms operate and compile data on which areas are more popular with bettors.

The geographic limit for online gambling is five nautical miles off the coast of Puerto Rico. This includes the island of Mona and the municipal islands of Vieques and Culebra.

“This new industry with international significance will also promote the creation of new, well-paid jobs,” said Emmanuelli.

“Legal and marketing advisors, programmers, developers of technology platforms, and even journalists specializing in games and technology applicable to it will be required. New professions and new jobs will emerge, and the door will be opened for the retraining of the workforce.”