Biloxi casino unveils a sports betting app, the 1st on the Coast. Here’s how to play.
You can now place a sports bet on a mobile app at Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi.
BetMGM went live at 8 a.m. Wednesday and Carl Johnson, director of the Beau Rivage sportsbook, said the first deposit of funds into the app came a short time later.
Players can download the app for free. Links are available on the Beau Rivage website.
The app debuted in Mississippi about a month ago at Gold Strike, the MGM sister property in Tunica.
“The Beau Rivage was supposed to go first,” said Anthony DelVescovo, MGM Southern Group vice president and legal counsel for the Beau Rivage.
However, the digital coverage inside the Biloxi casino wasn’t strong enough to provide the best experience for the players, he said. Since then, beacons were placed throughout the property to allow players to make a bet outside the sportsbook.
How the app works
Here is how to get and use the BetMGM app:
▪ Players can download the app in the Apple App Store or in Google Play.
▪ Those placing a bet still have to be at the Beau Rivage, but now can do it by phone or other device in the sportsbook, at one of the restaurants, spa, while playing slot machines or table games, and at the swimming pool. It isn’t yet available from the hotel rooms.
▪ Players can check betting lines on the app without being at the Beau Rivage so they are ready to bet when they arrive.
▪ A bet can be placed once they are inside the property, but not from the Beau Rivage parking garage.
▪ Money can be deposited into the app through PayPal or a credit or debit card. When the player wants to withdraw money, it must be to the same source as the deposit.
▪ Players can deposit and withdraw these funds anywhere in the U.S.
▪ To deposit or withdraw cash, the person must be at the Beau Rivage, at the cage or sportsbook.
Advantages of sports betting app
Johnson said players were asking for an app for some time, and similar to slot machine play, will get rewards like free stays.
One of the biggest advantages is the ability to easily place in-game wagers without having to get in line at the sportsbook or leave the pool.
Players can make up to 250 wagers during a football game, and the app now allows single game parlay bets on the spread, total points and player props, said Richard Lyon, BetMGM regional marketing manager. That type of parlay bet isn’t available without the app.
MGM Resorts International owns part of BetMGM, but it is a separate company and operates at other casinos, typically as one of the top sports apps in the state, Lyon said.
Could app lead to online casinos?
DelVescovo said he is hopeful the launch of BetMGM will please betters and prompt Mississippi legislators to pass a bill in the 2022 session to legalize mobile betting in the state.
Sports betting recently was approved in Louisiana and it already cut into the amount of money bet at the Beau Rivage last weekend, Johnson said.
When mobile betting launched in Tennessee, Mississippi took an immediate revenue hit, DelVescovo said. He expects it to happen again when mobile betting begins in Louisiana.
“We want to fix this now,” he said.
This story was originally published November 11, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
