Who is getting excited about the start of NFL betting season?
Well, DraftKings Sportsbook is taking its hype to a whole new level with its $100 million Golden Ticket Giveaway.
Sticking with the golden theme, Golden Nugget Online Gaming reported some big numbers earlier this week. By big, we mean a record-setting quarter.
And on the NJ sports betting scene, Philadelphia pro sports fans are likely extremely frustrated after the Flyers and Sixers both lost their respective Wednesday night playoff games.
One team needs one more win to advance to the second round while the other could be making an early exit from the Walt Disney World NBA bubble.
Here are the latest headlines making New Jersey gambling news this week.
DraftKings + $100 million Golden Ticket
DraftKings Sportsbook is adding a little excitement to the 2020 NFL season with its $100 million Golden Ticket Giveaway. Every customer who enters the free survivor pool is eligible.
One winner is guaranteed to walk away with $1 million. The first drawing takes place on Sept. 13.
And as the season continues, there will be additional free shots at the $1 million top prize.
This is a free-to-play nationwide competition, and it will unfold over the course of the NFL regular season. Every contestant picks one team each week, and if it’s a winner, they are still alive for the next week. Of course, there is a catch.
Players can only pick each team once over the course of the 17-week season. Say you pick the Philadelphia Eagles to defeat the Washington Football Club (the Redskins name is gone). If the Eagles win, they cannot be selected again. If the Eagles lose, anybody who selects them will be eliminated.
So if you want a shot at a cool million, sign in or create a DraftKings account. There is less than a month to go before the Houston Texans and Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs kick things off on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Golden Nugget and its golden second quarter
Golden Nugget Online Gaming is in the process of becoming a publicly-traded company. This makes the record second-quarter news stand out even more.
The biggest number is the gross gaming revenue of $28.2 million. The number becomes even more impressive when noting the 85% increase from the same period in 2019.
And the net revenue of $24.8 million is a 78% year-over-year increase.
Golden Nugget online casino is 100% responsible for this performance.
Thomas Winter, senior vice president and general manager of GNOG, commented on the positive results:
“Our second quarter beat our target, supported by record players activity and Average Revenue per User (ARPU). Our online play has remained strong in July and into August, and we are confident that we will exceed our revenue and operating income forecast in New Jersey this year.”
Surprise! Ocean Casino Resort is No. 2 in Atlantic City
Here is a piece of news few people saw coming: Ocean Casino Resort finished second in revenue for July.
The property reported a casino win of $23.6 million. Only Hard Rock AC ($24.5 million) fared better for the month. What makes this result even more intriguing is eight of the nine Atlantic City casinos were down significantly, and the market as a whole took a 46.8% hit.
Ocean, however, saw its land-based winnings increase by 23.1%. And this is compared to July 2019, when the property (and the market) was operating at full capacity.
Ocean also finished No. 2 in slot revenue with $17.2 million, good enough for a 10.5% year-over-year increase.
Call these results a pleasant surprise for the Ocean team.
“To be No. 2 in casino win in the market, I would’ve never thought in my wildest dreams that we would be able to do that, and I don’t think anybody else thought that either,” said Mike Donovan, Ocean’s chief marketing officer and senior vice president.
FanDuel required to pay out soccer bets
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement told FanDuel Sportsbook to pay out a hefty tab tied to erroneous soccer odds.
The bottom line is thousands of dollars were wagered in New Jersey over days back in mid-July. During the Major League Soccer restart, an erroneous line, or palp, resulted in FanDuel not paying out bets. The DGE eventually began an investigation.
The total tab is believed to have exceeded $100,000.
FanDuel released a statement following the ruling. The operator said the error was the result of a “new bet type that was installed incorrectly resulting in erroneous lines.”
Trump Plaza demolition moving forward
Summer is always a great time to take a stroll along the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Those walking past the former Trump Plaza may or may not notice that chunks of the building that are missing.
Call it the first step to a very long demolition process.
While the exterior images are easy to see, what in the world does the inside look like?
Well, here is a look at 10 things you might find inside before Trump Plaza is demolished.
On the board at NJ sportsbooks
The Philadelphia Flyers, one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, are leaving bettors hanging. Many expected them to advance on Wednesday night, but the Montreal Canadiens took Game 5, 5-3.
Philly still leads the series, 3-2.
For those considering putting money down on Friday night’s game, consider the Carter Hart factor. After Montreal recorded a dominating 5-0 victory in Game 2, Hart responded with back-to-back shutouts in the next two games.
Philly’s offense is not exactly hot at the moment, averaging just 1.6 goals per game in the series. Fox Bet has the puck line at Flyers -1.5. So those who think Philly’s offense is suddenly going to wake up may decide to go this route.
The moneyline favors the Flyers at -133, so bettors confident the Flyers will close out the series may see this play as the better option. And as far as winning the East goes, the Flyers currently have the third-best odds at Fox Bet (+320).
Tampa Bay (+187) and Boston (+225) lead the pack.
Switching gears to the 76ers, the betting picture is not looking very promising at the moment. The Boston Celtics absolutely dominated Game 2, 128-101. The performance makes one quickly forget about this storied NBA rivalry.
Losing is no longer an option for the Sixers, that is if they have any hopes of advancing. DraftKings has Friday night’s line at Sixers +5. Based on the first two games, this is potentially another losing wager.
Will desperation change the storyline?
