The Meadowlands Is The Hero That New York Sports Bettors Need

New York deserves a hero. A vigilante who takes it upon himself to exact justice. A caped crusader in the shadows whose own beliefs and creeds outweigh that of the city. A masked manhunter whose goal is to create the ideal and beautiful world that Gotham deserves. Holy Moses. You tellin’ me dat’s New Jersey? Sunuva… Well I guess Gotham deserves a hero. And right now, the one it needs is its Ned Flanders of a neighbor: the Garden State. Hey, someone has to be the sports betting savior. New York leaders certainly aren’t. Because while lawmakers remain asleep at the wheel in the the city that never sleeps, New Jersey, much like The Rembrandts, will be there for you.

New York stumbled when it counted

Lawmakers had a chance to make this a summer to remember in the Empire State. But like Leon Lett in Super Bowl XXVII, they celebrated too early and fumbled just in front of the end zone. Last week the New York Senate and Assembly both pushed bills through their respective houses, setting up a potential 11th-hour scenario in which the state finalized NY sports betting. Instead, no consensus was reached on either bill. Legislators missed their Wednesday deadline, and as a result, barring a special session, New York will not revisit sports betting until 2019. For weeks since the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May, New York had watched neighboring states create laws to fast-track sports betting: Delaware, then New Jersey, then Rhode Island. Connecticut online sportsbooks could even be on the way. This is supposed to be the center of the American world, built on innovation and forward-thinking. Instead, New York ended up being the prom queen who got all gussied up only to stay at home in her gown while her younger, less-attractive sisters get asked to the big dance. Fortunately for New Yorkers, there is plenty of room in New Jersey’s limo – and it is stocked with amenities.

New Jersey ready to cash in

Jeff Gural could not mask his excitement last week. The Meadowlands Racetrack owner was giddier than Buster Bluth. Come July 15, Gural announced, the New Jersey racetrack will go live with its sportsbook. It should be a busy day for the track, perhaps one of its most profitable of the year. And Gural can thank New York for that. Actually, he did. “New York did me such a favor by not passing sports betting,” 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.” The Meadowlands is located in East Rutherford, home of the “New York” football Giants and Jets. Now, it should be home to “New Jersey” sports bettors. Heck, the entire state should be after it rolled out legalized NJ sports betting June 14. Because while the Meadowlands will feature an easy brick-and-mortar sportsbook for New Yorkers, placing wagers will become much easier in just a few weeks, when mobile sports betting kicks in statewide. Just hop on the highway across the Hudson River, pop your head over the border, lay a C-note down on the Knicks to “not blow it faw me dis time, ya friggin jabronies,” and head back home. Yeah, sure, there might be some animosity there. New Jersey may be the sewer that the tunnel runs into, and New York might be filled with shoobies. But this is the time when the border between the two states should be blurred and a brotherhood is created. Or at least take New Yorkers for all their worth.