Colorado sports betting launch gets a bonus boost by SuperBook and Jacobs partnership

Colorado’s sportsbook regulations will take effect May 1, making it the 18th state with a regulated sports betting market. The deal announced Monday will be the first time the SuperBook brand has been expanded outside of Las Vegas. Circa Sports also plans to operate in Colorado.

Colorado leads a pack of states moving forward with sports betting, even as the industry is facing a significant slowdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

Colorado’s sportsbook regulations will take effect May 1, making it the 18th state with a regulated sports betting market. However, with essentially all major sporting events halted, the rollout in Colorado will not be immediate.

May will mark the two-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the federal statute that had restricted regulated sports betting to primarily Nevada. Since the ruling, 19 states (in addition to Nevada) have passed sports betting legislation. North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and the District of Columbia are among the next wave of jurisdictions expected to launch sportsbooks, and the Virginia legislature is taking the last steps before finalizing sports betting legislation.

The SuperBook, one of Las Vegas’ most iconic sports betting brands, announced Monday that it is partnering with Jacobs Entertainment, Inc., to operate a retail and mobile sportsbook out of The Lodge Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado. The SuperBook’s mobile betting app could launch in May, with the retail operation is slated to open in August.

“It’s very exciting,” said Jay Kornegay, vice president of the SuperBook in Las Vegas. “This will be our first outlet outside of Nevada. It’s certainly a new challenge for us, but the whole team is excited to expand the SuperBook brand.”

The SuperBook is located at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, formerly the Hilton, in Nevada, where it currently operates throughout the state via mobile betting. It runs the most prestigious NFL handicapping contest in the world, known as the SuperContest, which attracted a record 3,328 entries last year. The newly formed relationship with Jacobs Entertainment, which has operations in Colorado, Nevada and Louisiana, will be the first time the SuperBook brand has been expanded outside of Las Vegas.

“We had a really good discussion with [Colorado gaming regulators] last week about contests and the SuperContest,” Kornegay told ESPN. “It hasn’t been approved yet, but we hope to offer the SuperContest this year for the upcoming football season.”

Subject to required regulatory approvals by the Colorado Division of Gaming, SuperBook and The Lodge Casino will provide both an online and on-site sportsbook solution featuring an extensive wagering menu including all major championships, daily props in local markets, opening pro football weekly numbers & advanced weekly lines, pro/college football games of the year, season win totals, weekly pro football props as well as our world renown SuperContest, pending Colorado Gaming Commission approvals.

Las Vegas sportsbook operator Circa Sports also plans to operate in Colorado.