Atlantic City and southern New Jersey have always been Philadelphia Eagles country.
And with the local team in the Super Bowl http://www.packerscheapstore.com/rashan-gary-jersey-cheap , the seaside gambling resort can only dream of the extra millions of dollars it might have taken in had it been able to offer sports betting.
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide New Jersey’s challenge to a law banning sports betting in all but four states later this year.
But the decision won’t come in time to make up for the business Atlantic City thinks it would have gotten from die-hard Eagles fans, as well as casual fans, looking to bet on the Eagles-Patriots championship game on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis.
Tropicana president (and lifelong Eagles fan) Tony Rodio said sports betting would generate a lot of new business for Atlantic City.
”The northeast corridor is a giant sports betting market,” he said. ”If you take the Eagles and put them into the mix, I just can’t even imagine how big that would be. It would take it to a whole new level.”
Alas, that is not to be, at least this season. The Supreme Court ruling might not come until June. Legal analysts predict New Jersey has a decent chance of winning the case with a ruling that would permit sports betting in the state or across the nation.
Sports betting would be offered at Atlantic City’s casinos and the state’s horse racing tracks.
City Councilman Marty Small, an Eagles season-ticket holder who organizes an annual flight to see an Eagles road game, said Eagles fans would have booked every available hotel room in the city weeks ago in anticipation of watching – and betting on – their team in Atlantic City.
”We would have been totally sold out by now, the whole city Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey ,” he said. ”Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest party day of the year, and people would have come from near and far to claim Atlantic City as their party place. We’re missing a golden opportunity this year.”
This year, casinos in Las Vegas expect betting on the Super Bowl to surpass last year’s record of $138.5 million.
Drew Leonard, lifelong Eagles fan from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who grew up in southern New Jersey and used to visit Atlantic City twice a month, said he would go to the resort to bet a few hundred dollars on the Eagles, if it were legal.
”Anything that would bring in more people and business would definitely help,” he said, predicting Philadelphia will beat New England by a touchdown.
Kevin Ortzman, regional president of Caesars Entertainment, which owns three of Atlantic City’s seven casinos, said the northeastern U.S. ”is probably the biggest driver of sports betting,” noting that there are hard-core sports fans who would come to Atlantic City to bet on football, even if it involved the Cleveland Browns.
But the presence of the local market-favorite Eagles would have added some ”extreme excitement and vibe” to the game, he said.
Even without sports betting, Atlantic City casinos are trying to cash in on Eagles mania. The Caesars Entertainment casinos (Harrah’s Bally’s and Caesars) are considering bringing in retired Eagles players to meet and greet customers.
The Tropicana is using green lights to illuminate two indoor fountains, and all last weekend Jace Sternberger Jersey , it sprinkled the recorded sound of an eagle screech from time to time into the overhead music playing in the casino.
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Texas was expected to be one of the major leagues’ top power teams this season despite being in rebuilding mode.
The Rangers proved that premise to be true when they flexed their considerable muscle on Friday and ripped five home runs, three of them in the first two innings, to set the tone in an 11-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox in the first game of a three-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
The White Sox will try to get back on track with left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-2, 3.70 ERA) taking the hill Saturday to oppose ageless Rangers right-hander Bartolo Colon (4-5, 4.72).
The Rangers’ win provided a night off for closer Keone Kela, who on Wednesday saved his 20th game in 20 chances, the longest season-opening streak in club history. Kela broke Francisco Cordero’s 2004 record of 19 consecutive saves and now has converted 22 straight chances dating to May 2017.
The 22 consecutive saves constitute the third-longest streak in Texas history. Kela is nine saves shy of tying Joe Nathan’s club record of 31 consecutive converted saves in 2012.
“It’s a nice comfort zone to have,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about Kela. “Most of the saves have been clean innings. (It has been fun) to watch the maturation process of Key out there on a nightly basis being able to calm it down and just go pitch by pitch.”
It looks as if the White Sox will be without right-hander Miguel Gonzales for a while longer. Gonzales, who has been on the 60-day disabled list since April 18 with right rotator cuff inflammation http://www.packerscheapstore.com/dexter-williams-jersey-cheap , returned from his rehab assignment after experiencing soreness in a throwing session after the start for Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday.
“It’s a little setback,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria told mlb.com about Gonzales’ situation. “He still felt a little something so he’s going to be re-seen, re-evaluated, and we’ll see where we go from there.”
Gonzalez opened the season in the rotation but was 0-3 with a 12.41 ERA before landing on the disabled list. This is the second time he has had to restart his rehab.
Rodon is scheduled to make his fifth start of the season. It will be his third start on the road and fifth career start against Texas. He picked up the win in his last start on June 24 at home against Oakland when he allowed two runs and seven hits with three strikeouts in eight innings.
Rodon is 1-0 with a 3.91 ERA and .245 opponents’ average in his previous starts against the Rangers.
Colon will head to the mound for the 17th time this season and make his 15th start. He enters with 244 career wins, most in MLB history by a native of the Dominican Republic. He recently passed Juan Marichal (243) and is one win shy of matching Nicaragua’s Dennis Martinez (245) for most victories by a native of Latin America.
Colon ranks among AL leaders in pitches per inning (fifth, 15.0) and SO/BB ratio (ninth, 4.15) but has also permitted 19 home runs, third most in the AL. He will pitch on an extra days’ rest after taking loss in the Rangers’ 2-0 defeat on Sunday at Minnesota.
The former White Sox pitcher (12 starts in 2009) did not face Chicago in the clubs’ earlier series. He is 11-8 with a 3.84 ERA in 24 career appearances (all starts) against Chicago.