Atlantic City and southern New Jersey have always been Philadelphia Eagles country.
And with the local team in the Super Bowl, 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.