Hard Rock Sportsbook Review

With its partner Gaming Innovation Group, Hard Rock launched its first online sportsbook in New Jersey in January 2019, offering plenty of options for its players. Tethered to the Atlantic City casino bearing the same name, Hard Rock’s NJ sportsbook is both licensed and regulated by the state. Let’s take a closer look.

Pros and Cons

Welcome Bonus

It takes a bit of browsing around the site, but Hard Rock does have a welcome offer for sports bettors. While it does involve a fairly large sum of a $100 deposit (or more), it is actually worth it.

Here’s why: If you make this deposit, use that money to bet on a game and lose, you will get it back. By getting it back, we don’t mean in credit toward the site or anything like that, but pure cash.

For new players, a $100 deposit up front could feel like a bit of a commitment, purely due to the amount, but it’s a win-win situation for you as a player.

Registration

We mentioned that this registration processes is a bit tedious, and it could be to some players. Associated with the registration process are the free spins you get as a bonus perk for signing up for the online casino.

Sometimes registration process are just a new steps or on a single page. However, there are five steps here, and each step, the amount of free spins you get increases. However, if you’re not a casino player and are at Hard Rock purely for the sportsbook, this could be a bit of a nuisance for you.

Here is the information they ask for:

• Email/password
• Name, date of birth and telephone number
• Full address
• Create a security question and also give your gender
• Consent to their Terms of Service

Payments and Banking

The payment and banking options are the same for both the Hard Rock online casino and sportsbook.

Deposit Options

• ACH/e-check
• Visa/MasterCard
• PayNearMe: Cash transaction performed in person at a 7-Eleven retailer
• PayPal
• Play Plus: A reloadable card given by Hard Rock
• Cash Cage: Physically going to Hard Rock brick-and-mortar site and interacting with a teller

Withdrawal Options

• Bank Transfer
• ACH/e-check
• Cash Cage

There is no clear outline on the minimum and maximums for each of these methods, though using the ACH route, we received our winnings in just a couple of days, so the turnaround time cannot be all that long.

Desktop/Mobile Experience

We strongly encourage online sportsbooks to make their desktop and mobile applications as similar as possible. Doing so makes the user feel more at ease and it reduces needing to learn a totally new platform.

Hard Rock does just that. Whether you play on desktop, an Android device or through iOS, the platform and engagement will all feel the same. When you arrive at Hard Rock’s site on your desktop, you will immediately notice how professional and aesthetically pleasing the interface is. You can tell Hard Rock invested plenty of resources into presenting their product.

You can navigate to the sportsbook on the left-hand side of the screen by clicking on “Sports”. Here, you are brought to the main page of the sportsbook, which has logo’s in the form of the ball used for the different sports. Below this, the different sports are also displayed as text, with their live betting section, too.

The matchups/games for the different sports will be displayed after you make your selection with the odds displayed, too. At the bottom of the page, you will find additional information pertaining to “Responsible Gaming”, their “FAQ” section and a “Contact Us” page.

Sports and Markets Available at Hard Rock Sports

Sports

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Cycling
• Football
• Golf
• Ice Hockey
• MMA
• Motor Sports
• Rugby
• Soccer
• Tennis

Markets

• Moneyline
• Spread
• Totals
• Parlay
• Teasers
• Round Robin
• Futures

Betting Odds with Hard Rock Sports

You will not find over-inflated odds at Hard Rock Sports. In an aggressive market, sportsbooks cannot afford to present odds that will deter customers. Some more experienced bettors will odds shop and this could result in a potential loss of business. So, as a result, the Hard Rock sportsbook has made sure to keep their odds on par with competitors.

Betting Features

The betslip at Hard Rock Sports appears instantly toward the bottom-right corner of the screen after making your selection. Here, you will be able to place a bet and if there are multiple selections, be able to perform a parlay or round robin bet here, too.

Additionally, Hard Rock does offer Live Betting and Cash Out. Live betting is just as it sounds. You can wager on games while they are in progress. However, note that the odds do shift rapidly and could change depending on the results of a play.

Cash Out is a feature that has recently been added to most sportsbooks. This allows you to pull out of a bet prematurely if you don’t want to take the full monetary hit. Sure, you will still lose some money, but not as much and you can preserve your virtual wallet.

Current Promotions

Outside of the current welcome offer, there are no additional sportsbook promotions at Hard Rock Sports.

Customer Support

Hard Rock offers four forms of customer service.

1. Email support
2. Live Chat: Available 24/7
3. Via telephone: Available 24/7
4. FAQ section

You can find these by going to the bottom of the page and clicking on the “Contact Us” button at the bottom of the page. The live chat can also be found in the bottom left-hand corner of each page as you navigate the site. Making customer service available is vital to online sportsbooks.

Responsible Gambling Features

Alongside the “Contact Us” button at the bottom of the page, you will find a link to their Responsible Gaming page. Here, there are several items players can learn more about.

There are various organizations and hotlines Hard Rock recommends to contact. However, they also offer services you can utilize on their site, including session, spending and deposit limits. You can also set self-exclusion periods, too, to limit your time on the platform if your situation calls for that.

Our Verdict

Outside of the sign-up process that could be a bit more laborious for non-casino players, Hard Rock offers a perfect blend of simplicity in how you can explore their site and a professional presentation. Give Hard Rock Sports a look before you make your next online sports wager.

Contributors

Hi, I'm Richard Janvrin

"I combine my sports and gambling interests to put new US sports betting and casino websites through the paces to give consumers an unbiased assessment of every site's strengths and weaknesses."

Interests

• Online sportsbooks
• Online casinos
• Online slots
• Social casinos

Reviewer since December 2018