Editorial Rating
Deposit Methods
Key Features
- Many deposit & withdrawal options
- Bonus bet refund comes as cash not site credit
- Offers all major sports & leagues
Intro Promo
Deposit $100 into your account and make a $100 bet. If your bet loses, you will be refunded in cash in your account.
Companies featured on this page may be our partners who compensate us if you sign up for one through our links. This doesn't affect our ratings or opinions in any way. Must be 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. See full disclosure.
In May 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), giving states the power to decide whether they would legalize sports betting or not.
Just less than a year later in January 2019, Hard Rock Atlantic City officially launched its online sports betting app powered by the Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) in New Jersey—the first state to legalize online sports betting.
Since then, Hard Rock expanded its online sportsbook to Iowa and Florida, and we expect it to expand into more states soon.
The Hard Rock Sportsbook has many great benefits as well as some considerable downsides. Whether or not it makes sense for you depends on what you value when it comes to sports betting.
Our Hard Rock Sportsbook review dives into key pros and cons, how the intro promo works, common themes in customer reviews, and more to help you decide whether it’s the right book for you.
Offers from our partners
Hard Rock Sportsbook Quick Review
The Hard Rock Sportsbook is one of our lowest-rated online sportsbooks. Its overall rating is a 3.4 out of 5—putting it just above “average” on our scale.
When it comes to the benefits, Hard Rock offers decent odds, a $100 bonus bet that refunds you in real cash if your first bet loses (as opposed to site credit at most sportsbooks), and a number of deposit and withdrawal options.
On the downside, the Hard Rock Sportsbook offers no ongoing promotions or odds boosts, has a sub-par user experience on the app and website, and has poor customer reviews.
If you live in New Jersey or Iowa, it's worth considering adding Hard Rock to your lineup of sports betting apps, but we don't recommend using it as your sole sportsbook. If you live in Florida, Hard Rock is currently your only option.
State availability & rankings
- lowa (#10 of 10 IA Sportsbooks)
- New Jersey (#15 of 16 NJ Sportsbooks)
Ratings by category
Overall Rating
Odds Competitiveness
Intro Promo
Promos & Odds Boosts
Sports & Bets Offered
User Interface
Deposits & Withdrawals
Customer Reviews
Education & Resources
Pros & Cons
- Many deposit & withdrawal options
- Offers bets on all major sports & leagues
- Bonus bet refund comes as cash not site credit
- No odds boosts or promotions outside of intro bonus
- App is glitchy & crashes often
- Location verification is often finnicky
- Very limited prop bets
- Can't see lines on mobile app if out of state
- Overwhelming user interface
Hard Rock Sportsbook Intro Promo
Regardless of whether you bet in New Jersey or Iowa, the Hard Rock Sportsbook intro promo for new customers is the same.
It is a $100 bonus bet that refunds you in cash in your account if your first bet loses. There is no promo code needed to get the bonus.
Here are the steps you need to follow to get the Hard Rock Sportsbook intro promo:
- Register for a new account with the Hard Rock Casino & Sportsbook.
- Make a deposit of $100 or more.
- Opt-in to the $100 bonus bet promotion from the Promotions page.
- Within 7 days of opting-in, place a $100 wager on any event besides a futures/outright event.
- If your bet wins, you will receive your winnings as normal and will not receive the bonus bet.
- If you bet loses, you will receive a refund of $100 in cash in your account.
Since the refund comes into your account as cash, you are free to withdraw it or bet it as you would with real cash.
The Hard Rock website doesn't say anything about the cash expiring as it does with other sportsbooks.
How it stacks up
The main benefit of the Hard Rock Sportsbook intro bonus is that you receive the refund in cash in your account as opposed to site credit. This means there are no rollover requirements, so you don't have to bet the money at all before withdrawing it.
There are two downsides to the promo.
First, the $100 value is much less than many other sportsbooks that offer bonus bets and bonuses of $250, $500, $1,000, or even more in bonus bets or deposit matches.
Second, you have to make a full $100 deposit and $100 bet in order to be eligible for the bonus bet. Most other books offer bonus bets up to a certain amount of money, meaning you can bet any amount of money bonus bet up to the cap.
If you only wanted to try your hand at the Hard Rock Sportsbook with less than a $100 commitment off the bat, you wouldn't be able to take advantage of the promotion.
Ready to join the Hard Rock Sportsbook? Sign up & access the intro promo here.
Hard Rock Sportsbook Odds Competitiveness
One of the bright spots of Hard Rock Sportsbook is the very competitive odds. You'll regularly find -110 odds on standard spread and total bets, as well as pretty competitive moneyline odds.
As always, it's a good idea to use a few sportsbooks so you can shop around for the best odds on each specific market you're interested in.
For example, Hard Rock Sportsbook may have the Eagles at -115 and -6.5 versus the Cowboys at -105 and +6.5. While this still averages out to -110 odds, you may be able to find the Eagles at -105 or -110 at another book.
Hard Rock Odds Boosts & Promos
There's not much to write about when it comes to sportsbook promotions and odds boosts outside of the intro promo from Hard Rock.
That isn't a good sign.
As far as I can tell in my experience and research, the Hard Rock Sportsbook doesn't offer any odds boosts or ongoing promotions for customers.
In addition, while the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City has a rewards program called Wild Card Rewards, it's unclear whether online sports betting counts towards it. Most of the references online refer to betting in-person at the Hard Rock Casinos.
Sports Hard Rock Offers
Sports Offered
- Australian Rules Football
- Baseball (MLB)
- Basketball (NBA)
- Basketball (College)
- Basketball (Other)
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Darts
- Football (NFL)
- Football (NCAA)
- Golf (PGA)
- Hockey (NHL)
- Hockey (Other)
- MMA (Bellator)
- MMA (UFC)
- Motor Sports (NASCAR)
- Motor Sports (Formula 1)
- Rugby (League)
- Rugby (Union)
- Soccer (Bundesliga)
- Soccer (EPL)
- Soccer (Ligue 1)
- Soccer (MLS)
- Soccer (Serie A)
- Tennis
Sports Not Offered
- Handball (Any)
- Lacrosse
- Table Tennis
- Volleyball
Types of Bets Hard Rock Offers
Like most sportsbooks, Hard Rock offers all major types of sports bets, including:
- Spread bets
- Moneyline bets
- Totals (Over/Under)
- Parlays
- Teasers
- Futures
- Game props
- Player props
- Round robins
- Alternate lines
While Hard Rock does offer team and player props, it has a much smaller selection than most sportsbooks. If you bet sides and totals, this may not be a big problem for you, but if you like prop bets, you may want to look at another book such as FanDuel or DraftKings.
Live betting
Hard Rock offers live betting on all major sports including football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, and more.
You can also cash out of select bets (single bets and parlays) that are not yet settled. For example, if you have a 3-leg parlay and the first 2 legs hit, you can cash out for a lower amount than you would win if all 3 legs hit.
Same game parlays
In the last year or so, “same game parlays” have become very popular after major sportsbooks—such as FanDuel—started offering them.
Unfortunately, Hard Rock does NOT offer true same game parlays.
With these, you can combine sides, totals, and prop bets from the same game in a single parlay. With Hard Rock, you can only combine sides and totals from the same game.
Signing Up for the Hard Rock Sportsbook
You don’t have to be a resident of one of the states where Hard Rock operates to sign up for the sportsbook, but you must be located in one of the states to place bets. The only other restriction is that you must be at least 21 years old.
Note that if you aren't in one of the states where Hard Rock operates, however, you won't be able to use the mobile app. I have tested this with the Hard Rock NJ app while in PA and it blocked me from using it (something that is allowed with almost every other sportsbook app). You can use the website out-of-state; you just can't place bets.
To sign up for an account, you’ll have to fill out some basic information including:
- Password
- Name
- Date of birth
- Phone number
- Address
- Security question
- Gender
- Last 4 digits of Social Security number
After filling out this information, you may be asked to answer some multiple-choice questions such as which address you've been associated with, what car you've owned in the past, and related things to verify your identity.
You may also be asked to upload a government-issued ID (such as a driver’s license or passport).
You can get an idea of what the registration screen looks like in the following mobile screenshots (click to expand):
Hard Rock Sportsbook Deposit & Withdrawal Methods
It’s relatively easy to deposit and withdraw money into/out of your Hard Rock Sportsbook account and there are a few methods to choose from.
You can deposit and withdraw money from any location—even if you are outside of one of the states that Hard Rock operates in.
Note that Hard Rock does not charge any fees for depositing or withdrawing money but your bank might.
Hard Rock Deposit Methods
| Method | Min Deposit | Deposit Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Online Banking/ACH |
$10 |
Instant |
|
Debit/credit card (Visa, Mastercard)* |
$10 |
Instant |
|
PayPal |
$20 |
Instant |
|
Hard Rock Play+ Card |
$10 |
Instant |
|
Cash (at physical sportsbook) |
$10 |
Instant |
|
Cash (via PayNearMe) |
$10 |
Within 30 mins |
*Credit cards not allowed in Iowa
Hard Rock Withdrawal Methods
| Method | Min Withdrawal | Withdrawal Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Online Banking/ACH |
$10 |
2-3 business days |
|
PayPal |
$10 |
2-3 business days |
|
Pre-paid debit card* |
$10 |
2-3 business days |
|
Cash (at physical sportsbook) |
$10 |
Instant |
*Iowa only
Hard Rock Sportsbook App & Website Experience
You can bet with the online Hard Rock sportsbook through its website or mobile apps (iOS & Android). There are multiple mobile apps based on which state you want to bet in.
The app or website will verify your location to ensure you are located in New Jersey or Iowa. You may be required to download an application to your computer to help verify your location or grant the website/mobile app access to your location.
Note that you don't have to be a resident of New Jersey or Iowa to bet with Hard Rock; you just have to be physically located in one of the states to actually place the bets.
User Experience
Overall, I'm not a huge fan of the Hard Rock Sportsbook user experience. I rated it a 3 out of 5, or below-average.
I find both the website and mobile app to be clunky, overwhelming, and generally just poorly designed.
There are a few menus to help you find the section you are looking for, including the top menu that shows popular sports and games. The problem I've found with this, however, is that Hard Rock doesn't update it based on what sports are actually going on. For example, the first sport icon as of this writing in May is for football.
Once you click into a game, you'll see large purple bars that separate each section with each market under that having its own box. While these aren't impossible to navigate, I think tightening up the spacing would make it easier to find things quickly.
The betslip functionality is easy enough to use. Once you make a selection, the betslip will pop up on the bottom of the screen. From here, you can place your wager or minimize it to add additional selections (such as if you want to make a parlay).
Here are some screenshots of the Hard Rock Sportsbook NJ mobile app (click to expand):
Here are some screenshots of the Hard Rock Sportsbook NJ website (click to expand):
Stability
There are many customer reviews online complaining about the stability of the Hard Rock Casino & Sportsbook app.
The majority of them discuss how the app regularly crashes or gets stuck—requiring users to close and reopen the app then sign back in. It seems that this is a big issue with the Casino part of the app, as well.
For what it's worth, in my experience, the Hard Rock Casino & Sportsbook website is generally stable and I haven't run into any major issues.
Hard Rock Customer Support
You can reach Hard Rock any day from 6 am to 2 am EST through the following methods:
- Phone:
- Florida: 1-877-825-7777
- New Jersey: 1-877-825-7777
- Iowa: 1-844-951-7625
- Email:
- Florida: [email protected]
- New Jersey: [email protected]
- Iowa: [email protected]
- Live Chat:
Hard Rock Sportsbook Background & Locations
Owner: Hard Rock Digital
Hard Rock Sportsbook Launch Dates: January 2019 (New Jersey), December 2019 (Iowa), November 2021 (Florida)
State | Online | Retail Partner |
|---|---|---|
Florida | Yes | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino |
Iowa | Yes | Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City |
New Jersey | Yes | Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City |
Hard Rock Sportsbook Customer Reviews
In the Apple App Store, the Hard Rock Casino & Sportsbook has an average rating of 2.0 from 84 reviews as of the time of this writing.
Here are the most common complaints I've seen:
- Problems with the app glitching or crashing
- App not being able to verify location
- Difficulty registering
- Limited sports betting markets—especially when it comes to prop bets
- Getting logged out frequently
Hard Rock Sportsbook Educational & Responsible Gaming Resources
Like any form of gambling, there is always a risk of losing your money when sports betting—especially if you don't fully understand how it works. In addition, gambling addiction is a serious problem that is easier to fall into than most people realize.
For that reason, when rating sportsbooks, I considered what kind of educational resources they provide and what responsible gambling resources and limits they have in place.
Educational resources
The main educational resource the Hard Rock Sportsbook offers is the House Rules guide that talks about how different bets work, what happens in certain scenarios, and everything else you need to know before placing sports bets.
I could not find a specific “how sports betting works” or “sports betting 101” guide like many other sportsbooks offer. The House Rules guide goes over a lot of information but having a beginner-friendly guide that talks about the different types of sports bets and how odds works would be really helpful.
I could not find any team or player statistics within the Hard Rock Sportsbook app or website.
Responsible gaming resources & limits
Hard Rock offers a decent responsible gaming guide that goes over how to how to gamble responsibly, warning signs of gambling problems, where you can find help if you have a problem, and more.
Hard Rock also offers a number of limits and other things to help customers gamble responsibly and take a break when necessary. Here is a quick overview of each:
- Deposit limit. Limits how much you can deposit to your account on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis.
- Loss limit. Prevents you from wagering more after you've lost a certain amount of money on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis.
- Time limit. Blocks you from wagering after you've been logged into your account for a certain amount of time on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis.
- Self-exclusion. Block yourself from betting for a period of 1 year, 5 years, or permanently.
Hard Rock Sporstbook Alternatives
As one of our lowest-rated sportsbooks, there are many great alternatives to the Hard Rock Sportsbook worthy of your consideration.
Here are some options you may want to check out depending on what you value:
- If you want a better overall sportsbook: FanDuel Sportsbook
- If you want a better intro promo: Caesars Sportsbook
- If you want a Bet & Get sign-up bonus: WynnBET Sportsbook
Want to compare Hard Rock Sportsbook with other options? Use our free sportsbook comparison tool.
Hard Rock Sportsbook FAQs
Is the Hard Rock Sportsbook legal?
Yes, the Hard Rock Online Sportsbook is legal and licensed in Flordia, New Jersey, and Iowa. All of Hard Rock's sports betting operations are legitimate.
Can I use cryptocurrency to bet with the Hard Rock Sportsbook?
No, currently you cannot use cryptocurrency to deposit or withdraw money into or from your Hard Rock Sportsbook account.
How do I place a bet with the Hard Rock Sportsbook?
To place a bet, simply log in, make your selections, enter the amount you want to wager in the betslip, and click “Place bet.”
Who can place bets with the Hard Rock Sportsbook?
Anyone physically located in Florida, New Jersey, or Iowa that is at least 21 years old with a valid account can place bets with the Hard Rock Sportsbook.
Can I deposit and withdraw money outside of a state where the Hard Rock Sportsbook operates?
Yes, you can deposit and withdraw money from anywhere. You only have to be in FL, NJ, or IA to place bets.
Does the Hard Rock Sportsbook offer live betting?
Yes, the Hard Rock Sportsbook offers live betting on all major sports.
Does the Hard Rock Sportsbook have a rewards program?
At this time, it doesn't seem like the Hard Rock Sportsbook offers a rewards program for online sports betting.
How do I claim the Hard Rock Sportsbook intro promo?
After you register for a Hard Rock account, go to the Promotions page and opt-in to the $100 bonus bet promotion. Next, deposit at least $100 and place a $100 bet on any event that isn't a futures bet within 7 days. If your bet loses, you will receive a refund in your account.
Ready to join the Hard Rock Sportsbook? Sign up & access the intro promo here.
