Today is one of those days where the best of two NJ sports betting worlds collide.
Opening day of the 2019 MLB season is here. So is the second weekend of March Madness betting.
The NCAA Tournament resumes tonight with four Sweet 16 games.
FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands Racetrack is expected to once again be buzzing with fans. Mike Raffensperger, chief marketing officer at FanDuel, expects the place to be hopping with customers from New Jersey and New York City.
“I think we are expecting to be very busy. Opening day should be a holiday.”
The sports betting deck is stacked with several enticing betting opportunities. Here are the latest lines posted on the FanDuel Sportsbook NJ app:
- Florida State vs. Gonzaga (Gonzaga -8)
- Purdue vs. Tennessee (Tennessee -2)
- Texas Tech vs. Michigan (Michigan -2)
- Oregon vs. Virginia (Virginia -8.5)
- Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners (Boston -1.5)
FanDuel Sportsbook + baseball + college basketball
March Madness is now sharing the spotlight with baseball betting.
Unlike the NCAA Tournament, this is the second season in which New Jersey residents can wager on baseball.
Like March Madness, users of the FanDuel Sportsbook app will find promotions specifically targeting the baseball audience.
The Local Locks offer rewards customers who place winning moneyline wagers on the Phillies, Yankees or Mets through March 31. It comes in the form of a $5 bonus for every run the selected teams wins by.
For example, the Yankees defeated the Orioles 7-2 today, which means the customer would receive a $25 bonus if the bettor went with the New York club.
The other is the Opening Day Live Bet Bonus, which is only good for today (March 28). This one applies to all MLB teams. Make a live bet of $50 or more and you will earn $20 in site credit.
March Madness betting at FanDuel a hit
Based on last weekend’s standing-room-only crowds at the Meadowlands, March Madness betting is a hit.
The FanDuel Sportsbook is equipped with 64 screens. (It was not intentionally designed that way.) Grabbing a seat may have been a challenge, but finding a screen was not.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement will not be releasing the official handle and revenue numbers until next month. That means FanDuel is not talking yet on the specific numbers tied to the first weekend of March Madness betting.
But Raffensperger did say FanDuel did hit two impressive marks last weekend:
- March 22 was FanDuel’s biggest Friday ever in terms of bet and handle.
- Last weekend was the second-best sports betting weekend ever (Super Bowl was the first).
Adding to the overall NJ sports betting experience are the 14 recently installed IGT PlayDigital’s PlayShot QuickBet kiosks.
FanDuel customers can now place wagers at the betting windows or self-service betting machines.
Reduced wait times equals convenience. And yes, wagers via the FanDuel Sportsbook app are accepted there, too.
Speaking of mobile sports betting, FanDuel is running a free Props Pick’Em contest through Monday, April 8 (night of the National Championship Game).
The rules are simple: Come up with the correct answers to earn a share of the $10,000 prize pool.
New York’s delay is FanDuel’s gain
New York’s sports betting legislation remains a work in progress.
As a result, customers on the other side of the George Washington Bridge or Lincoln Tunnel are coming to FanDuel to place legal bets.
FanDuel, at least in terms of retail, is the only operator based in North Jersey. More importantly, the company claimed the top spot in the most recent NJ sports betting revenue figures released by the DGE.
Thank you, New York.
“We think it’s a huge advantage,” Raffensperger said of FanDuel being located just outside of NYC.
“We are confident we have the biggest sportsbook on the East Coast. Being 10 minutes outside of New York City is a big deal.”
And New Yorkers will likely be wagering on Yankees and Mets games this weekend.
Combine it with March Madness betting, and the FanDuel NJ sports betting experience is only getting sweeter.