by John Brennan, The Philadelphia Inquirer
A federal judge is keeping Monmouth Park from taking bets on sports for now, but frustrated gamblers from New Jersey can find plenty of places to bet on National Football League games a mere 100 miles down the turnpike.
In Delaware, you can bet on NFL games at any of the state’s three racetrack casino complexes or more than 80 other businesses statewide, ranging from chain restaurants to mom-and-pop tobacco or liquor stores. At Naamans Beer, Wine & Spirits in Claymont and The Reef seafood and steak restaurant in Wilmington _ both just a few miles from New Jersey _ steady lines of bettors form on Sunday mornings to make game-day wagers, employees say.
Charley Ross, owner of The Reef, said NFL betting has been a “huge” revenue generator for his business since he added the gambling last year.
“It’s not unusual for us to have $500 or $1,000 bets,” said Ross, who gets 5 percent of the gambled money. “I had a guy win $168,000 on one bet last year. We have a number of clients from New Jersey who are big bettors, and even more from Pennsylvania. Sunday mornings, it’s crazy _ they’re lined up out the door all the way until the [1 p.m.] kickoff.”
Delaware’s experience provides a glimpse of what could be at stake in New Jersey’s legal battle over plans to allow sports betting at racetracks and casinos in the state. The total wagered on NFL games in Delaware _ with barely one-tenth the population of New Jersey _ was $31.5 million last year, more than triple the mark set in 2009, according to Vernon Kirk, the director of the Delaware Lottery. Kirk added that the state’s share was $5.2 million, with casinos and the state’s horsemen also getting a portion of the net revenues after expenses.
The New Jersey state law that is being challenged in court by the NFL and four other sports organizations could produce exponentially more sports betting, proponents say. Almost $11 billion could be bet in New Jersey annually, according to Monmouth Park track operator Dennis Drazin.
Beyond the much larger population, New Jersey’s plan would allow betting on more sports than just the NFL. And Delaware gamblers are limited to “parlay” betting, with each bet requiring the choice of winners in at least three games. Those bets are much more difficult to win but bring with them higher payoffs, attracting more casual participants, compared with the much more popular single-game betting that would be allowed in New Jersey.
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