As football season quickly approaches, the New Jersey sports betting market must prepare for the busy months ahead.
Since betting on college football and the NFL are so popular, NJ sportsbooks will likely see even more betting action this season than in their inaugural year.
Yes, there are 14 betting apps in the Garden State, but there are also 10 retail sportsbooks across the state.
The majority of these land-based sportsbooks are based in Atlantic City. But all 10 of them are up and running with new permanent spaces.
Sportsbooks are a great place to spend time during the fall weekends. Gamblers can enjoy quality food and drink while being able to watch and bet on every football game played each weekend.
But what’s the plan at the sportsbooks? Will it be the same old or something new? Will there be seat reservations on those busy Saturdays or a Monday Night Football drink special?
We took a closer look at a few (not all) of the sportsbooks in NJ to see what they have in store when the pigskins start to fly.
Borgata
- Sportsbook: Moneyline Bar & Book
- Reservations (if available): 609-317-7249
- Reservation price range: $75-$100 food/drink minimum at VIP tables, private VIP areas are $1,000 for 10 people
Moneyline Bar & Book has a 40-foot-wide LED video wall along with betting windows and lots of places to sit. It also features a 35-foot-long bar that includes more than 20 craft beers and a new dining menu by Executive Chef Tom Biglan.
Outside of the barstools, high-top tables and booths, there is additional seating inside the VIP lounge.
In order to sit in the VIP lounge, customers must make a reservation. The VIP tables will include a food/drink minimum ranging from $75 to $100.
Other private VIP areas run around $1,000 for 10 people.
Pricing for the VIP seating will vary depending on the specific day and which games are available for viewing. There will most likely be discounted beer and food specials that will be announced the week prior.
Fantasy football fans are welcome, too
For fans who enjoy playing fantasy football, Borgata has you covered, too. Moneyline offers several draft party packages ranging from $59 per person to $1,500 per person.
The sportsbook will provide you and your friends a personal draft day area as well as a draft board, commemorative merchandise, and much more.
Resorts
- Sportsbook: DraftKings Sportsbook at Resorts
- Reservations (if available): 1-800-772-9000
- Reservation price range: VIP lounge requires $50 food/beverage minimum
DraftKings Sportsbook inside Resorts in Atlantic City has plenty to offer as well. At 5,000 square feet, the book features multiple ultrahigh definition-LED video walls, including a 15-foot wall.
The sportsbook, which opened in November 2018, has 18 self-betting kiosks and five betting windows available for its customers.
Every Sunday through Thursday, DraftKings will have a happy hour from 2 to 7 p.m. It will feature $4 beers, $6 well drinks, and $1 off any food item through the entire football season.
If that doesn’t suit your football fancy, guests can enjoy drink specials every Sunday all day during regular season football games.
On Friday nights, from the start of the season until the Super Bowl, the sportsbook will have Ladies’ Night. The evening will consist of teaching the basics around sports betting as well as discounted drinks and half-priced sushi. Participants will also receive a $5 free bet.
As for game days, there is VIP seating with food and bottle service available. The VIP lounge consists of four different sections that hold up to a total of about 50 people. There is a $50 food and beverage minimum to sit in these areas.
The sportsbook also has stadium seating for around 50-60 free guests.
Ocean Casino
- Sportsbook: William Hill Sportsbook at Ocean Casino
- Reservations (if available): Skybox Suites, 609-783-8491
- Reservation price range: Call the sportsbook/casino for details.
The William Hill (now Caesars Sportsbook) at Ocean Casino Resort was one of the first books to open in Atlantic City. Set up smack dab in the middle of the casino floor, it’s 7,500-square-feet of sports betting, complete with a large video wall that encompasses almost the entirety of the book.
On Sept. 7, starting at 10 a.m., the sportsbook will be celebrating the return of football with its Kick Off to Football Season 2019. After placing a wager, customers are eligible to receive a free William Hill T-shirt.
The sportsbook will offer food and drink specials all day, too. Customers can enjoy $2 hot dogs as well as Bud Lite buckets for just $30.
Then at 7 p.m., there will be a pep rally at the Fire Pit at Lobby Bar. A live band along with the Atlantic City Blackjack Cheerleaders will be there to start the season of football betting on the right foot.
That suite football feeling…
But if you can’t be there on Sept. 7, don’t fret. Ocean Casino and William Hill customers can win a Suite Season Giveaway as well.
Customers can enter the drawing at the casino’s website, and once done, you become eligible to win an overnight stay for two and a VIP Hospitality Suite overlooking the sportsbook sometime during the 2019 season. That suite can hold up to six people and comes with complimentary food and beverage.
The contest ends on Aug. 31, and a winner will be announced Sept. 3.
As far as watching games at the sportsbook, William Hill offers Skybox Suite reservations for those who don’t win the contest. Customers must call to reserve pricing and suites. Each suite holds up to 10 guests.
Meadowlands
- Sportsbook: FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands
- Reservations (if available): None
- Reservation price range: Not available
The FanDuel Sportsbook located at the Meadowlands is one of the few land-based sportsbooks in NJ not in Atlantic City. The nearly 7,000-square-foot facility comes equipped with 30 betting windows, 20+ self-betting kiosks, and 82 TV screens.
FanDuel Sportsbook has three locations inside the Meadowlands Racetrack and has a lot to offer at each. There are high-top tables, barstools, couches, leaning rails, dining chairs, and even a VIP area.
The sportsbook features American food you’d typically expect to find at sporting events. However, unlike the previous locations, the VIP seating is not open to the public unless you are betting a total of $150,000 every 30 days.
That being said, there are no other upfront costs to enjoy a football game here. Everything else is first come, first serve.
Just be careful of those Sundays when the New York Giants or Jets have a home game at nearby MetLife Stadium.
On those days, there is a parking fee and it can be a trick to find a parking spot.
Harrah’s
- Sportsbook: The Book at Harrah’s
- Reservations (if available): Online at Harrah’s website or call 609-441-5800
- Reservation price range: Call the sportsbook/casino for details.
Harrah’s sportsbook, known as The Book, is yet another Atlantic City destination this football season. The Book has almost 4,000 square feet of space.
There are TVs across almost every wall and extra plush seating all around the sportsbook. The Book also features food options from the AC Burger Company.
For groups looking to enjoy the games, The Book also has two additional Fan Caves that can hold up to 10 people. The caves provide a more private and upgraded viewing experience and include table service.
In order to reserve a seat or a fan cave at the sportsbook, customers must fill out a form on Harrah’s website or call 609-441-5800 to reserve.
Golden Nugget
- Sportsbook: The Sportsbook
- Reservations (if available): None
- Reservation price range: Not available
Another Atlantic City retail sportsbook available for those NFL bets and football games is at the Golden Nugget. The Sportsbook, as it is called, showcases more than 50 TVs on five separate video walls.
There is seating for more than 100 people including barstools, chairs, cushioned seats, and couches.
However, the Golden Nugget doesn’t sell its sportsbook’s tables. As of today and heading into the football season, tables will be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If you happen to miss out on grabbing a table, you’re still more than welcome to eat and drink. There will be food and cocktail service within the Golden Nugget sportsbook every day.
The Sportsbook will also have food and drink specials throughout the season. These could include a discounted bucket of beer.
Golden Nugget’s sportsbook will sometimes reward bettors for making sizable wagers. For example, if someone bets over $100, they’ll receive a free drink, too.
Bally’s
- Sportsbook: The Book at Bally’s
- Reservations (if available): Visit the Bally’s website to reserve a table/fan cave.
- Reservation price range: $50-$600
Located in Bally’s Wild Wild West Casino, this is by far the biggest sportsbook in AC. At 15,000+ square feet, The Book has plenty to offer when it comes to enjoying football season.
Its sportsbook is running a Fired Up For Football promotion that reserves seating inside the sportsbook for every football game.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a Monday, Thursday, or Sunday, Bally’s is prepared for football viewing.
To reserve a table or seat, customers must go to the sportsbook’s website. Here, you’ll able to choose between several different options. The choice you make depends on how you prefer to watch the game.
Table choices include:
- Stadium Billiard: Includes reserved billiard table for up to four people.
- Stadium Table: Includes a reserved table for up to four people.
- Stadium VIP: Available for groups of five or more.
- Large Fan Cave: Accommodates up to 25 people.
- Small Fan Cave: Accommodates up to 16 people.
These range from $50-$600 depending on if the reservation is for a weekday or a weekend. Weekend reservations are obviously on the higher end as those are top viewing hours. Fan caves, however, are reserved for the entire day of the reservation.
Here’s a quick breakdown of rental options at Bally’s sportsbook. Prices and availability are subject to change:
| Seating Type | What You Get | Weekdays (Tuesday-Friday) | Weekends (Saturday-Monday) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium Seat | $50 food/beverage minimum, one seat, all-day rental | $50 | $50 |
| Stadium Billiard | Seating for up to four at billiard table | NA | $50 |
| Stadium Table | $100 food/beverage minimum, seating for up to four people | $100 | $100 |
| Stadium VIP | $300 food/beverage minimum, for groups of five or more, all-day reservation | $150 | $300 |
| Fan Cave (Standard) | $250 food/beverage minimum, seats up to 25, all-day rental | $250 | $400 |
| Fan Cave (Premium) | $600 food/beverage minimum, seats up to 25, all-day rental | $350 | $600 |
Customers can even reserve just a single seat if they plan on enjoying football alone. This Stadium Seat, as well as the Stadium Table for four, is paid for by a minimum spend on food and drink. But the seat is yours for the whole day.
Whatever your choice, all of Bally’s sportsbook reservations can be made online.
On a side note: Bally’s will more than likely have food and drink specials for the football season. These will be announced closer to kickoff.
Tropicana
- Sportsbook: William Hill Sportsbook at Tropicana Atlantic City
- Reservations (if available): Day-of call 609-340-4022; advanced and group reservations call 609-342-7785
- Reservation price range: Call the sportsbook/casino for details.
A lot of football fans will find themselves at William Hill’s other AC sportsbook located at the Tropicana.
This newer retail sportsbook debuted in March and has a lot for customers to enjoy. It’s packed with 180 seats as well as a bar and lounge to watch upwards of 16 games at one time.
In fact, the sportsbook has more than 1,000 square feet of video display.
Although there is no food available inside the William Hill sportsbook, the space is located right across from Chickie’s and Pete’s Crab House & Sports Bar.
Fans often grab some food and head right into the sportsbook.
General seating at the sportsbook remains first come, first serve unless a reservation has been made. Customers can sit at any of the available seats on the sportsbook floor, or they can reserve a spot in the elevated VIP lounge area.
Football betting, viewing, and NJ sportsbooks
Keep in mind that any option you choose for football viewing and betting also comes with all of those NJ sports betting apps. But those apps are just one part of the equation this year.
The casinos and racetracks aren’t resting on their laurels either. It would seem customers have plenty of options when it comes to where to bet and watch when the first game kicks off.