Meadowlands confirms sports betting launch date

Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey has confirmed it will launch its sports betting service on July 14 – one day earlier than planned.

Jeff Gural, the racetrack’s operator, said last month that legalised sports betting would be introduced on July 15.

However, Jason Settlemoir, the track’s general manager, told The Record that July 14 – one of the venue’s biggest race days of the year, the Meadowlands Pace, and the day before football’s Fifa World Cup final – provides “much better timing”.

The Victory Sports Bar and Club, where bets can be placed, will open to the public at 11am. Meadowlands has teamed up with Betfair US, which will offer its in-house odds and services.

Gural told the Associated Press last month that Meadowlands would benefit from New York’s failure to pass sports betting legislation this year.

“New York did me such a favour,” Gural said. “That leaves me the entirety of New York City, Long Island, Westchester County. There are 15 million people that live within 20 miles of the Meadowlands. They gave me a tremendous gift.”

Kip Levin, chief executive of Betfair US, said recently: “We could not be more excited to partner with Jeff Gural and his partners for sports betting in New Jersey and New York.

“Meadowlands Racetrack has the potential to be among the best, if not the best, sports betting venues in the US.

“Combining these premier facilities with the global sports betting prowess of Paddy Power Betfair is a great match and will enable us to bring an unparalleled sports betting experience to customers in the northeast.”

New Jersey recently became the second state to launch a regulated sports betting service in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

However, Meadowlands’ plans were nearly scuppered at the weekend when talks over New Jersey’s state budget reached the eleventh hour.

A deal was finalised to avert a government shutdown that would have resulted in racetracks and casinos from closing their doors.

Monmouth Park racetrack and the Borgata and Ocean Resort casinos are currently the only venues in New Jersey to offer wagers on sports.

Picture credit: Meadowlands