In a room that seemingly should be found on a movie set, BetMGM analysts, using the latest high-tech software while observing multiple screens, are tracking wagers on sporting events from around the country, continuously adjusting in-game odds after a key score or injury while keeping an eye on future events, where the betting line could be adjusted based on betting trends.
The idea that such a center exists shouldn’t be a surprise. Afterall, sports betting has exploded into an industry that is approaching more than $250 billion worldwide — and more than $100 billion in the U.S.
This fact may raise an eyebrow: The room is not in Las Vegas, London or any other perceived gambling hub around the globe. It’s in Jersey City, which has quickly — and quietly — become the epicenter of sports betting in the country and a major sector in New Jersey.
It is estimated that more than half of BetMGM’s approximately 1,500 employees live in Hudson and Bergen counties, regularly traveling to the company’s state-of-the-art headquarters that take up an entire floor at Exchange Place on the waterfront.
And BetMGM is just one of many sports gambling and gaming companies that have a large presence in Jersey City. The headquarters for Caesars Sports Book is just down the block on Hudson Street. FanDuel, Draft Kings and Fanatics also have a presence in North Jersey.
Rob O’Connor, VP of government and industry affairs at BetMGM, said MGM’s decision — mirrored by others — did not happen by accident.
“It was a competitive decision by BetMGM and then the other companies to place employees in corporate offices in Jersey City, as opposed to somewhere else,” he said. “We had a choice of where to go and we chose New Jersey.”
The reason why is easy to trace.
New Jersey was the national leader in the push for sports betting. After all, it was a lawsuit filed by the state — considered a longshot by most — that led to the Supreme Court’s stunning ruling in May of 2018 that allowed sports betting throughout the country.
And the state already had established itself as having a gaming-friendly regulatory structure and a population filled with top tech talent. That, combined with the existing presence gaming companies already had in Atlantic City, made it an easy call.
“The state knew gaming, and gaming knew the state,” O’Connor said. “So, we just became an extension of the gaming industry in Atlantic City.
“We were all down there and we all said, ‘Let’s move up and take advantage of the talent up North.’”

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One of the reasons behind the stunning growth around sports betting is that it can be done on the phone. Industry officials estimate that more than 95% of sports bets are placed that way, whether it’s from people at a game, at a sports bar or in their home.
You don’t have to go to a brick-and-mortar casino to play. But companies such as BetMGM (which is a 50-50 entity between MGM and European-based Entain) do need a physical location to run this booming business.
The BetMGM headquarters in Exchange Place does far more than simply set and monitor gambling lines.
Within the office are teams built around various divisions: Commercial (ensuring the product produces the right margin), marketing (driving awareness of the brand), operations (supporting day-to-day customer needs), product and technology (what you would think) and corporate (HR, legal and compliance).
Karen Baumwoll, the chief human resources officer at BetMGM, joined the company back in 2019, when it only had approximately two dozen employees. She has overseen its massive growth — to approximately 150 after the pandemic, 600 or so a year after that and steady additions since.
Baumwoll said BetMGM is continually looking for employees trained in statistics, data analysis and software — attributes that so many employees in the FinTech sector (also booming in Jersey City) have.
“This is a new industry,” she said. “So, from a talent perspective, there are roles that exist for the first time in the United States. Finding talent, and finding talent in your jurisdiction, is challenging. We have it here.”
The economic impact of BetMGM in Jersey City goes far beyond employees, Exchange Place or tax revenue for the city and state.
The company regularly buys huge catered lunches from local businesses to feed its employees. And the company has made connecting with the community — whether it’s participating in the Jersey City Pride parade through one of its seven employee resource groups or having dozens of teams play in community rec leagues for softball or bowling — a huge priority.
“There are a lot of reasons why we initially came to New Jersey, but the reason that we stay here is because of the community that we’ve built around us and a community that we feel really good about being a part of,” Baumwoll said.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said the impact of BetMGM has been huge for the city’s quickly growing business reputation.
“Ten years ago, we were seen as more of a back office for Wall Street,” he said. “When a company like BetMGM comes here — along with a proliferation of other gaming companies, not to mention some biotech and pharma companies — it speaks to Jersey City being a diverse place to live and work and having a diverse workforce. I think that’s really important for the city and the state.”
Hudson County Chief Executive Craig Guy, who has toured the headquarters, agreed.
“Hudson County is all about providing additional opportunities for our residents to succeed and get ahead,” he said. “Hudson County is open for business, and BetMGM’s new headquarters in the county will provide hundreds of employment opportunities to our residents.”

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Gov. Phil Murphy gets much of the credit for all this. After all, his name was on the lawsuit that eventually cleared the way for sports betting. But it would be far from accurate to give him all the accolades.
Murphy was picking up a suit that was filed by his predecessor, Gov. Chris Christie, who was lukewarm on the idea. Christie had to be encouraged to attach his name to the effort after the courts ruled that the original petition in 2011 — led by former State Sens. Ray Lesniak and Joe Kyrillos and others — needed to come from the state’s chief executive.
Lesniak is generally recognized as the person who pushed for sports betting — and continued to push for sports betting — when few thought it had any chance of becoming legalized.
And while Murphy certainly has been a supporter since he took office in January of 2018 (he could have stopped the suit if he didn’t), here’s the remarkable aspect to all this: The industry has largely grown organically.
Tim Sullivan, the CEO of the N.J. Economic Development Authority, said no sports betting entities have applied for any incentives. And the industry is rarely — if ever — mentioned when the governor makes economic mission trips out of the country.
Murphy said he’s thrilled by the growth.
“The introduction of sports wagering in New Jersey has proven to be an economic juggernaut for our state,” he said. “Due to its demand, we have witnessed the organic growth of the industry, leading to more jobs for New Jersey residents and more tax revenue to support public services.
The industry has support from numerous politicians and state agencies.
State Sen. Raj Mukherkji (D), who represents Jersey City, has visited BetMGM’s headquarters, offering support while gaining insight. The same is true for Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, a Democrat who represents areas in Bergen County. South Jersey officials — including State Sen. John Burzichelli (D-Glassboro) and Assemblyman Bill Moen (D-Camden) — also are key supporters.
And on the day ROI-NJ visited the MGM offices, a representative from the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement was up for a meeting.
Then there’s this: Plenty of lawmakers around the country are taking their lead from New Jersey.
That’s the take of the Sports Betting Alliance, an industry organization that represents BetMGM as well as FanDuel, Draft Kings and Fanatics.
The SBA’s Sarah Filosa said the organization is constantly being asked about how New Jersey tackles issues.
“Whenever there is any type of proposed regulation legislation in another state, people will ask us, ‘What’s New Jersey doing? How does New Jersey handle this?
“New Jersey has become the reference point for other state legislatures and regulators. It is known as the top-tier state in the sector.”

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It logically follows that New Jersey’s nearly 50-year relationship with the gambling industry and friendly regulatory environment that came from it would have given the state a huge head start on other states when sports betting was legalized.
Here’s a reason for the sector’s success that you wouldn’t think of: The pandemic.
Having nearly every sporting event around the world get cancelled also played a part in the rapid rise of the industry. How so? When the world was stuck at home, people got used to doing business, seeking entertainment or simply ordering food on their phones, Baumwoll said.
“I think when people were at home, they got more accustomed to doing things from the leisure of their living room,” she said. “This is something that you can do anywhere.”
When the sports world returned, people were ready to take advantage of this new form of entertainment.
Especially young people.
The growth of the sports betting industry appears to have a long runway for another reason: Sports betting is being driven by a younger audience — a population who not only is comfortable betting on their phone, but comfortable betting on more than just the final score.
Don Forbes, the senior director of trading at BetMGM, said how people play is undergoing a big change. The new generation of gamblers not only want updated lines throughout the game — depending on how the score is changing — they also love what are called prop bets, which enable them to bet on individual athletes, too.
“It’s a massive change,” he said. “When I started in this industry, 30 years ago, you had the point spread and the money line. Now you’ve got people watching how many points are being scored — and who is scoring them.”
To be clear, the point spread and money line are still the biggest revenue source in the industry, but the other betting options seemingly have the biggest upside, Forbes said.
“These prop bets are the biggest driver in the industry,” he said. “The younger people, especially the ones that grow up in the fantasy space, aren’t so much betting on the games as much as they’re betting on the people.
“They’re watching to see how many points Steph Curry is scoring or how many touchdowns Lamar Jackson is producing. They could care less about who wins the game.”
The relationship between the gaming industry and the younger generation is a delicate one.
While the sports betting industry will grow through usage by those in their 20s — it is a 21-and-over industry.
So, while many universities in the state are adding programs around gaming (the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University has long been a model), schools are creating e-sports teams and graduating students that will fill jobs, the sports betting industry is careful to keep its distance because the great majority of college students are under 21.
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With the addition of Missouri last November, sports betting of some sort is now legal in 38 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.
While BetMGM officials would like to see sports betting in all 50 states, they are just as concerned with maintaining what they have now: A booming business with huge potential.
The industry faces two key challenges — the first being a still vibrant illegal gaming sector.
This is more than just the cliché idea of a bookie operating in the back of a storefront. It is unregulated offshore businesses that are, through a variety of means and with the backing of big-name endorsers, dodging U.S. laws that ensure consumer protection, age verification, and responsible gaming protections — not to mention costing states potential tax revenue.
The SBA’s Filosa said fighting against the illegal market is difficult.
“From a consumer’s perspective, it operates very similarly,” she said. “If you download one of these illegal apps, their platform looks very similar to those in the SBA.”
Explaining the difference can be difficult. The SBA is taking the lead on that.
“Because it’s such a young industry, there is still a huge element of education that we’re going through because, for the average consumer, it’s just not part of their day-to-day experience,” she said. “This is why we’re sitting down with legislators, with regulators, with consumers to let them know what it is to create a safe and sustainable gambling gaming market in New Jersey and across the country.”

O’Connor said one of the biggest issues with the illegal operators is that the legal entities can get lumped in with them — and blamed for the other big challenge the industry faces: Responsible Gaming.
O’Connor said responsible gaming is a top concern of BetMGM, whether that means ensuring underage kids do not participate — or providing help for those who cannot help themselves.
“For our company, responsible gaming is our sustainability issue,” he said. “Other companies talk about the use of private jets for their sustainability — for us, it’s our customers.”
O’Connor said it’s an industry-wide concern.
“If we — with the ‘we’ being the collective industry — don’t do this responsibly, then the whole industry will fall under its own weight” he said.
“We want to help the people that have an addiction problem. We have ways of identifying them and a program where we actually connect them to resources — and we pay for their intake.
“These issues are of major importance to us.”
Murphy said the state is committed to seeing the industry grow — and grow responsibly.
“We are thrilled at the interest from more companies across the sector in getting licensed to operate and expand into our state,” he said. “As the industry continues to grow quickly, we remain committed to an ethical approach prioritizing the mental well-being of those wagering bets.”
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The rapid rise of the sports betting industry surprised many people in the state.
Don’t include Lesniak in that group.
The former state senator said he envisioned this sector as a booming business back in 2011. In fact, he said, that’s why he pushed for it — keeping it alive when so few others were behind it.
“I was prompted to do this because a handful of Atlantic City casinos closed and Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands Ra ce Track were on the verge of closing,” he said. “That was the genesis.
“The payoff is this: About 20,000 jobs were restored and retained because of sports betting.”
The new jobs continue to come.
Baumwoll won’t put a number on the company’s hiring hopes for 2025 — only that BetMGM will continue to draw from the state’s rich talent pool.
This thrills Lesniak, who wrote, ‘Beating the Odds: The Epic Battle that Brought Legal Sports Betting Across America.’
Lesniak said he knew the state had the high-tech talent and the infrastructure to be the national leader. And while he has been proven correct, he said his only hope is that the state doesn’t screw it up by overtaking or overregulating an industry they don’t truly understand.
“Everyone in the Legislature needs to understand why this is so successful,” he said.
Officials at BetMGM agree completely.
Their goal for 2025 is to bring more awareness about the industry to the rest of the state.
They have brought in government affairs and external communications firms to help in the effort.
O’Connor said he is eager to spread the word.
“The industry has grown quickly and quietly here,” he said. “I think the next phase of it is how do we build more external relationships, so more people know that we’re here and that this is growing.
“This industry is something that New Jersey should be super proud of. We need to tell our story.”
Conversation Starter
Reach BetMGM at: betmgminc.com.