After PASPA was struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this summer, the state of New Jersey became the first state outside of Nevada to offer legalized sports betting.
Since then, the state has reaped the rewards. In September alone, NJ sports books took in a whopping $184 million in wagers during the month, up from about $95 million in total wagers in August.
It’s not only the state who is benefitting. Take for example the New Jersey Devils, who expect to bring in north of $5 million in sports betting related partnerships this year alone.
The Devils, who expressed that sentiment in September, are now one step closer to that goal after locking in a deal with William Hill US.
“William Hill wants to own New Jersey, this partnership was incredibly natural.” – Adam Davis, CRO of the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center
The deal, which is the second deal in the NHL for William Hill US and first for a professional sports team in New Jersey, will see the parties create the “William Hill Sports Lounge”, a permanent in-arena activation that will feature multiple TVs and a full-service bar. While there will be no betting kiosks or windows, fans will be able to place bets on any games going on at that time through William Hill’s app.
Like their deal with the Golden Knights, William Hill will also get a TV visible dasherboard, in-arena signage, updated league-wide odds displayed on the scoreboard during intermission, and recognition on the LED ribbon board of the “William Hill Line Change” the first New Jersey Devils’ line change each period.
With both entities laying stake in the market early on in the process of the legalization of sports gambling, the partnership was only natural according to Adam Davis, the CRO of both the New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center.
“We’ve worked very hard to brand Prudential Center as the home of sports and entertainment in New Jersey. Now with the onset of sports betting, there is no better place to connect with passionate fans in the state of New Jersey than ‘The Rock;’ and no one knows that better than William Hill, who made a similar investment in New Jersey years ago – we share that foresight.”
SEE MORE: How the Golden Knights Landed Their Sportsbook Partnership With William Hill
Outside of the 41 regular season hockey games at the Prudential Center, the venue hosts a bevy of other entertainment options including concerts with some of the world’s biggest music superstars.
On a yearly basis, the venue will do 175-plus events and attract over one million fans and guests, a number that played into the partnership shaking out as it did according to Davis.
“From the beginning, William Hill’s team honed in on the sports lounge as the way they preferred to connect with the million-plus sports fans and guests that attend the over 175 events at Prudential Center each year.”
One can expect that as more states move towards legalizing sports betting, “sports lounges” will become the next big potential area in which to activate partners like a William Hill US.
