Start of NFL season packs Atlantic City sportsbooks

Online and mobile sportsbook operators in New Jersey may take nearly 80% of all wagers throughout the year, but on the first Sunday of professional football, casino sportsbooks were handling plenty of action. From the Boardwalk to the Marina District, Atlantic City’s eight brick-and-mortar sportsbooks were filled with avid gamblers and casual fans, all eager to watch a full slate of games during the opening weekend of the 100th season of the National Football League. At the official grand opening of The Book inside the Wild Wild West Casino at Bally’s Atlantic City — the resort’s largest sportsbook at nearly 15,000 square feet — former Philadelphia Eagles players Chris Long, Hollis Thomas and Fred Barnett greeted fans, signed autographs and took pictures.