Caesars Sportsbook’s introduction to the online gambling space came in September 2017, more than 50 years after the launch of Caesars Entertainment. Caesars Palace opened its doors in 1966, kicking off a wave of hotels and resorts in Las Vegas.
One year later, Caesars made its way to the East Coast when it obtained a legal license to operate in New Jersey. Caesars in Atlantic City had already built a strong reputation in Jersey, making its sportsbook an instant hit in the state due to its name recognition. Caesars was also the first major sportsbook to open in New Jersey after PASPA was repealed by the Supreme Court, adding to its early success.
In March 2020, Caesars continued its journey, moving west into Pennslyvania. By 2020, however, Pennsylvanians already had access to a good number of other sportsbook apps and Caesars’ technology was still a bit behind some of the major books such as DraftKings and FanDuel. As a result, it was slightly more difficult for Caesars to achieve the same level of early success it enjoyed in New Jersey.
In April of 2021, Caesars Entertainment acquired 100% of William Hill PLC, a world-renowned sportsbook company. One year prior to the acquisition, William Hill took on 32% of the sports betting industry's revenue share and 70% of those bets were placed online.
With William Hill’s operation now under its control, Caesars moved forward with a huge rebranding campaign and relaunched the new version of its app. This project came with a $1 billion marketing budget spent on TV, radio, and digital advertising featuring celebrities such as JB Smoove and former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.
Not long after, Caesars opened its online product to a host of other states. Its massive rebranding efforts coincided with its launches in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
When early 2022 came around, Caesars saw its value increase with its successful launch in the state of New York. This led to its arrival in a few more states in the same year, such as Louisiana (right before Super Bowl LVII) and Illinois (right before the March Madness college basketball tournament).