Borgata vs Underdog looks like an odd pairing the moment you open both apps — one deals blackjack and takes point-spread bets, the other builds pick’em rosters out of player-prop projections. They are not competing for the same deposit. But their legal footprints cross in exactly one place worth naming up front: New Jersey, where Borgata has operated since 2013 and where Underdog launched its first licensed Pick’em Champions market in March 2025.
Is Borgata Legit? Is Underdog Legit?
Borgata Online is licensed directly by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, and it’s operated by MGM Resorts International on a property owned by Vici Properties — the same corporate family behind BetMGM. That is a real US regulator with enforcement power in both states it serves.
Underdog’s legitimacy case looks different because it’s a different kind of company: founded in 2020 in Brooklyn, backed by venture capital, and it has a fine on the record. New York’s State Gaming Commission ruled that Underdog’s 2020–2022 contests exceeded the scope of its temporary permit, and Underdog paid $17.5 million in March 2025 and exited the state rather than fight the finding. Paying a settlement and continuing to operate everywhere else — and later securing its own CFTC registrations for Underdog Predict — is a different story than a regulator forcing a shutdown.
What each brand actually offers
| Borgata | Underdog | |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Online casino + sportsbook | DFS pick’em + prediction exchange (no casino, no sportsbook) |
| Footprint | New Jersey, Pennsylvania only | Classic Pick’em ~15 states; Pick’em Champions licensed state by state (NJ, DE first) |
| Licensing basis | Direct state gaming license (NJ DGE, PA GCB) | DFS exemption (Classic) or direct state license (Champions); CFTC registrations for Predict |
| Biggest regulatory event | Routine license renewal, no major disputes | $17.5 million New York settlement, March 2025 |
| Payout methods | Original deposit method, PayPal, ACH, mailed check | PayPal, Venmo, Trustly, original deposit method |
The New Jersey Overlap
Borgata operates in exactly two states, and Underdog’s licensed Pick’em Champions product launched in exactly two states — New Jersey and Delaware, both in March 2025. New Jersey is the point where that Venn diagram actually intersects: a resident there can run a Borgata casino or sportsbook account and a licensed Underdog Pick’em Champions account side by side. Pennsylvania residents get Borgata but not Pick’em Champions; residents of Underdog’s other ~15 Classic Pick’em states get Underdog but no Borgata at all. Outside those specific overlaps, this comparison mostly answers itself by geography before bonus terms or app design even enter the picture.
Underdog isn’t a sportsbook alternative anymore. For readers who remember an “Underdog Sportsbook,” it’s gone — closed nationwide in December 2025, with every open North Carolina wager settled rather than the book expanded further. Borgata is the one of these two names still taking a moneyline or spread bet, and only in NJ and PA.
Is Either One Safe to Deposit Into?
On Borgata, safety comes down to structure: player funds held under state-mandated segregation rules, regular regulatory audits, and an actual state agency to escalate a dispute to. On Underdog, it comes down to a different kind of paper trail — a public settlement it paid rather than contested, plus the federal licensing stack now backing Predict. Neither changes the underlying math: casino games carry a house edge, and DFS entry fees are not investment capital. Treat both as entertainment spending, not income.
Which One for Who
A reader in New Jersey or Pennsylvania who wants casino games or a sportsbook wager is looking at Borgata; Underdog offers neither anymore. A reader who wants pick’em-style DFS contests should check whether Classic Pick’em or the licensed Pick’em Champions is actually live in their state, since the two have separate approvals. And a New Jersey resident curious about both product categories is one of the few readers for whom this is a genuine both-and rather than an either-or.