ATLANTIC CITY — The DraftKings Sportsbook at Resorts hosted a Giant celebrity on Sunday.
Justin Tuck, the former NFL defensive end, drew a crowd of hundreds anxiously waiting for him to sign a football and pose for a picture at the New Jersey sportsbook.
Grand opening for DraftKings
The meet and greet was part of the “grand opening event” for the swanky new 5,000-square-foot space inside Resorts Atlantic City. Tuck took a moment to admire the space filled with wearing Giants, Eagles and Cowboys jerseys.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with DraftKings for a couple of years now, and they always do things top notch,” Tuck said. “This is definitely top notch. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to see my Giants beat the Redskins today,”
Whether or not he was watching, it was one of the featured games shown on the 1,000 square feet of ultra HD video screens. His Giants did win convincingly, 40-16. Those with winning tickets cashed them in at one of the five betting windows.
The late crowd saw the Cowboys defeat the Eagles, 29-23 in overtime and cover the 3.5-point spread. No matter what game patrons were watching, Tuck was the star attraction.
“I’ve been blessed that most people think I did things the right way, so usually Eagles fans, Cowboys fans and Redskins fans come up to me and say I am happy you don’t play anymore,” Tuck said.
Here are some pictures of the sportsbook:
The DraftKings Sportsbook Experience
The DraftKings Sportsbook brand continues to be a model of success in NJ sports betting. The retail sportsbook launched in November.
The stadium-style seating area combined with bar area equipped with tabletop video poker is large enough for 300 guests. The VIP space in the back can hold about an additional 100 people. Bets can be made at one of the 12 kiosks, equipped with the same live betting options offered on mobile and online devices.
The DraftKings Sportsbook app, powered by Kambi, works, too. Bets are easy to track via the large monitors and the ticker located above the sportsbook entrance.
DraftKings is the latest of the permanent sportsbooks to open in Atlantic City. Resorts CEO Mark Giannantonio talked about the finished product.
“I couldn’t be happier with our partner DraftKings. They’re professionals in every aspect of the ball. Our collaboration to build the best sportsbook in America, honestly, has been a great collaborative effort.”
The effort officially went live on Aug. 6 when DraftKings became the first company to offer legal online sports betting in New Jersey. Resorts opened a much smaller, but temporary retail space in mid-August.
Home of the Giants
Tuck was not the first former Giant to appear at the DraftKings Sportsbook, and he likely will not be the last.
Hall-of-Fame linebacker Harry Carson made an appearance just before Thanksgiving to officially open the space. He placed the first official bet: New York Yankees to win the 2019 World Series.
Giannantonio, who is a Dallas Cowboys fan, said DraftKings leads the way with lining up the special appearances.
“We are in the middle of the market. We appeal to Giants fans, Eagles fans and Jets fans,” he said, “At our grand opening we had Harry Carson, which was a great event. Now we have Justin Tuck.
“Today just speaks for itself. The amount of people that have come through here, whether it’s our VIPs or just the general public, it’s really remarkable.”