William Hill debuts sports lounge in NHL Devils’ arena

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — New Jersey’s rapidly growing sports betting market is extending its reach into a professional hockey arena, even as it adds a seventh Atlantic City casino to the fold.

Bookmaker William Hill US opened a sports lounge Thursday night at Newark’s Prudential Center, where the NHL’S New Jersey Devils play.

The viewing center will feature large video screens and constantly updated odds on sporting events in case fans with mobile betting apps on their phones want to wager. But it can’t accept in-person cash bets; those are restricted to New Jersey casinos and racetracks.

William Hill and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment signed a multi-year partnership deal to give the bookmaker a physical presence at the arena, as well as including it in the team’s radio and digital broadcasts on the Devils Hockey Network, on Prudential Center’s exterior marquee LED billboard, and across the Devils’ digital and social media channels.

During Devils games, updated league-wide odds will be displayed on Prudential Center’s 9,584-squarefoot, four-story-tall scoreboard.

“Five years ago, we placed a bet on New Jersey when we invested in opening a sports bar at Monmouth Park without knowing when sports betting would be legalized,” said

Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US. “Today, we are proud to continue to double down on that commitment by partnering with the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center.”

Sports betting is off to a fast start in New Jersey, with over $336 million in bets placed here so far.

New Jersey won a U.S. Supreme Court case in May clearing the way for all 50 states to offer sports betting.