A Bookies' Lounge Is Coming to the Devils' Arena

Sooner or later, they all come to ... the Prudential Center.

Every NHL club does because that's what the league tells them to do.

And very soon, every punter who hits a New Jersey Devils game will also be able to hit more than that.

The coupling of sports and gambling -- probably history's second-oldest profession -- has found a willing host in the Garden State, which has formally recognized what's always been there.

 

No longer will baksheesh be part of a black budget at the Pru.

The William Hill Betting Lounge is setting up shop in the concourse.

• There will be a wall of big-screen TVs to beam whatever's happening anywhere,
• There will be more big screens flashing and updating all sortsa odds,
• There will be odds flashed on the Pru's 9,584-square-foot, four-story-tall scoreboard, too, so nobody misses the obvious, but
• There will be no cashiers on site.

 

It's the 21st century, dudes.

All you've gotta do is download the wagering app and get involved.

State law restricts in-house cash outlays to casinos and racetracks. Those venues needed it, too, and in the short terms, it's paying off.

 

New Jersey's been in the forefront of promoting sports gambling for a while, now. When the US Supreme Court ruled in its favor last May -- opening the business to all 50 states if they so choose -- its officials moved quickly.

To date, they've reported $336million in placed bets.

 

That's right, pump it. All the way to the Shore.

Just know that even though the Devils have your ticket money, they'd like you to stay for the game. It's an atmosphere thing.