Operator News
US – William Hill opens ‘download and bet’ lounge at New Jersey Devils’ stadium
By Phil - 18 December 2018
William Hill has now opened what it calls its ‘first-ever branded hospitality lounge in the United States’ at the Prudential Center, home to the New Jersey Devils National Hockey Team.
The 1,200 square-feet is located outside of section 18 on the main concourse of Prudential Center. Devils alumni, MSG broadcaster Ken Daneyko, radio broadcaster Chico Resch, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment President Hugh Weber, Chief Revenue Officer Adam Davis and William Hill CEO Joe Asher were present to cut the ceremonial ribbon in the space.
In contrast to a traditional sports book, the Prudential lounge acts as a place for Devils fans to congregate and bet on their mobile devices. It offers more than 32 40.21″ x 22.67″ digital LED screens showing sporting events and offering odds during Prudential Center events. The lounge is staffed by William Hill hosts charged with explaining and assisting customers with how to download and use the William Hill Sportsbook App.
William Hill CEO Joe Asher said: “It’s really exciting to be able to do this. This is the first sports betting lounge anywhere in the country and we’re glad that we could be able to be the ones to do it. We’ve been working on this for quite some time and we’re hoping it exposes people to our brand and it’s great to be associated with the Devils. It’s such a passionate fan base as well, that we hope this is going to be a nice addition to the arena. It’s a good way to get people exposed to the William Hill brand, have a drink, and hopefully decide to download the app and start playing with us. With three retail William Hill Sports Books and our Mobile Betting app now available in the Garden State, engaging New Jersey sports fans is extremely important for us.”
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment President Hugh Weber added: “We are proud to announce a partnership that is breaking what we believe are new barriers in terms of the fan experience and what it means to come and watch hockey live. Over the last five years, we’ve committed ourselves to investing in matchless ways that our fans can have the best in-class experience, and we believe this partnership is a great reflection of that. We pride ourselves on being innovators and the first of their kind. This is the representation of another first; the first indoor arena in North America to have sports betting and have all of the information here for our fans take in. We think it’s just another reason that fans will want to come to Prudential Center and see the game live as opposed to maybe watching it some other way.”
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Chief Revenue Officer Adam Davis added: “I think it continues to enhance the entertainment experience. I want it to be a destination that fans know they can come to catch all the great action that’s going on in the sports world. I think it’s an opportunity for them to come, engage, and if they’re lucky, put some money in their pocket.”
The deal will also see a TV-visible dasherboard, dynamic, in-arena signage, and recognition on the LED ribbon board of the William Hill Line Change, which will occur at the first New Jersey Devils’ line change each period. During Devils games, updated league-wide odds, presented by William Hill, will be displayed on Prudential Center’s 9,584-square-foot, four-story-tall scoreboard, the largest in-arena scoreboard in the world.
The lounge opened prior to the Devils home game against the Las Vegas Knights on December 14.
