New Jersey governor makes state’s first legalised sports bets

Thursday saw the official start of legalised sports betting in New Jersey following the strike down of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act last month by the US Supreme Court, which ended an eight-year legal struggle against the sports leagues by the state.

The historic first bets were made at the Monmouth race track by state governor Phil Murphy, who placed $20 bets on Germany to win the World Cup soccer tournament, and the New Jersey Devils to win hockey’s Stanley Cup next season.

“We knew in our heads we were right and we knew in our hearts we would win,” Murphy said. “We’ve got a lot of good times ahead.”

Governor Murphy was joined onsite by State Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, former State Senator Raymond Lesniak, Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development, operator of Monmouth Park, and William Hill US CEO Joe Asher.

Punters were quick to line up at counters in the track’s sports book facility, and a good turnout was reported.

The Monmouth sports betting facilities are powered by the US division of  major UK bookmaker William Hill plc. The facilities include a diverse sports betting menu that includes football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, and more. The complex features a 15-window main sports book, and an integrated sports bar, with over 40 HDTVs showing live sporting events and dynamic betting lines. The sports book is open seven days a week.

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