When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 26-year-old federal law last May, it created a potential new venture for the gambling industry – sports betting.

Predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome was something once only reserved for operators in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s now something all states can choose to create their own laws around. Thus far, Florida has chosen not to allow sports betting, but New Jersey has legalized it.

That has opened the door for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City to enter into the endeavor. When the new property opened in the summer, Jim Allen, the chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, announced a partnership with British online sports betting firm Bet365.

Now Kindred Group has entered an agreement with the Hard Rock Atlantic City to pursue a “Casino Service Industry Enterprise License” (CSIE) in New Jersey. The agreement allows Kindred to take steps toward offering U.S. customers online sports betting and gaming services. The Hard Rock already has a CSIE, according to Kresimir Spajic, the senior vice president of online gaming at Hard Rock International.

Kindred Group is an online gambling operator conducting much of its business across Europe and Australia. It has more than 21 million customers within 11 brands.

“The collaboration between two strong international brands will combine Hard Rock’s first-class lifestyle and entertainment experience with Kindred’s state-of-the-art digital innovation and data analysis, creating a strong offering in the New Jersey market,” a recent news release stated. The release said the agreement is part of Kindred’s “ongoing process to secure regulatory approval.”
According to Spajic, Kindred could start operations before receiving its CSIE, as long as they receive a transactional waiver from New Jersey’s Department of Gaming Enforcement.

“This waiver is conditional, meaning that ultimately Kindred needs to receive CSIE. There are cases where operators operated for couple of years under [a transactional waiver] before they received CSIE,” Spajic said.

The timeline for Kindred depends on the New Jersey licensing investigation process, he said.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is located on 17 acres, with the Atlantic City boardwalk as its backdrop.