BetMGM nets Puerto Rico license in time for Super Bowl LVI

BetMGM is set to become the first online sportsbook operator to offer sports betting in Puerto Rico after the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission (PRGC) granted a provisional license to its land-based partner.

The Casino del Mar, at the La Concha Resort in the Puerto Rican suburb of Condado in the island’s capital San Juan, is the first to receive a license, having applied last year.

The issuance of a temporary permit is understood to have been granted in order to showcase the island’s fledgling sports betting market via offering betting on Super Bowl LVI.

BetMGM is set to be one of the first to enter the market, having previously agreed a strategic partnership with Casino del Mar at the La Concha Resort.

Under the arrangement, the BetMGM mobile app will go live across the Caribbean island, while the operator will also open a retail sportsbook at the San Juan beach resort.

Verticals on offer include esports betting, tournament betting, sports betting on events involving a majority of participants over the age of 18, and cockfighting.

Events which fall outside of the commission’s scope of operations must be individually approved. When this does occur, the operator must impose a betting limit of no more than $100 and a win limit of $500.

In comments reported by local media, PRGC executive director Orlando Rivera confirmed the grant of a temporary permit, with intentions to make the license permanent in the near future.

“We granted a provisional license to a company that has complied with all the commission’s requirements, with the intention to use an international event such as the Super Bowl as the spearhead of a new industry in Puerto Rico,” Rivera explained.

“Sports betting represents a new business model for everyone on the island, especially for the capital city, which will be the first municipality with this type of activity.

“This will represent an important collection for the treasury and an economic flow for local businesses,” Rivera added.

In addition to its license, Casino del Mar has recruited Puerto Rican entertainer Jorge Pabón, better known as ‘Molusco’, to serve as the brand ambassador for BetMGM and Casino del Mar on the island.

“We welcome Molusco to Casino del Mar as spokesperson for BetMGM, the first sports betting service in Puerto Rico,” Casino del Mar general manager Sigfrido de Jesús said.

“Starting this Friday and throughout the weekend, we will be celebrating this partnership with events at La Concha Resort while we count down to the big game on Sunday.

“Also, from Friday on, the public will be able to place bets on their favorite sports and teams and try their luck, in an easy and accessible way, at Casino del Mar,” he added.