It was another big moment in NJ sports betting history.
The New Jersey Devils along with Prudential Center hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday night to celebrate the opening of the new William Hill Sports Lounge.
The 1,200-square-foot area is located on the main concourse and will be opened for all Devils home games and more than 175 other events held each year.
The lounge is equipped with more than 32 digital LED screens, featuring betting odds and the most popular live sporting events.
The ribbon-cutting was conducted by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment President Hugh Weber, CRO Adam Davis, William Hill US CEO Joe Asher, along with New Jersey Devils Alumni and broadcasters Ken Daneyko and Chico Resch.
NJ Devils and William Hill partnership
William Hill, the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center first announced their partnership back in mid-October. This was the first sports betting collaboration for both the arena and the Devils.
The Devils, for their part, have another partnership with FanDuel Sportsbook and Caesars.
As for the William Hill partnership, it is mostly a marketing one.
During games, league-wide odds presented by William Hill will be showcased on Prudential Center’s 9,584-square-foot scoreboard. It’s the largest in-arena scoreboard in the world.
The Devils first line change of each period will also now be recognized as the “William Hill Line Change.”
Away from Prudential Center, William Hill US will sponsor watch parties for Devils fans at Monmouth Park in Oceanport.
For NJ sports betting and hockey fans
For the first time, an engaging experience awaits patrons in the new lounge. Fans are now able to see a variety of betting odds for different sports and can enjoy watching something other than the hockey game if they choose to do so.
Even people who have never placed a bet before can still participate.
William Hill has staffed the lounge with ambassadors who will help guests learn more about sports betting. It should be noted that there are no betting kiosks at the lounge. But those with the William Hill NJ sportsbook app can place bets via their smartphones.
Take a peek at the William Hill Sports Lounge below:
Weber is excited about the impact the lounge can have.
“To have fans be able to learn and track games in a different way and actually maybe have some blood in the games so to speak, we think it’s going to be helpful.”
This may just be the start of things for the Devils and Prudential Center.
Weber added:
“There will be other types of experiences around sports betting in the spring that you’ll see launched.”
Having a good time
Although the lounge is based around sports gambling, Asher sees it as another opportunity to enhance everyone’s time at the game.
He explained:
“This is the first time anything like this has been done anywhere in the country … ultimately we’re in the entertainment business and we exist to give customers a good experience, so hopefully this becomes one of those good experiences. They can come here, have a drink, check out the odds. It’s just a place to hang out.”
To help celebrate the opening, William Hill NJ (Caesars NJ) is offering a special promotion to bettors in New Jersey who download the app and create a new account.
By using code NJD100, customers will collect a match on their first deposit up to $100. An account can be created through the app or at the William Hill NJ gambling site.