Having taken a Monday off to go to an interview in the middle of New Jersey, I decided to stop by the FanDuel Sportsbook located in East Rutherford, NJ. East Rutherford of course, is home to the Meadowlands sports complex, where the Giants, the Jets, and the Ponies of the Meadowlands’ racetrack play. After seeing the wide reports of the excess vig at this sportsbook, I wanted to stop by to see for myself. And with the sportsbook being on the way home, it provided a perfect opportunity for me to go despite the constant rain throughout the day.
First Impressions
When compared to Monmouth Park, I must say that this place is much more presentable and pleasant. For one thing, there was no parking fee when I showed up. (**This maybe because it was a Monday and there was no horse racing). When I walked in the place looked a lot cleaner compared to Monmouth, especially the bathroom. At the front door of the betting room, there is a sign displayed with their operating hours. This might be because of the confusion bettors had regarding closing times previously.
Betting Floor and Amenities
The lighting in the betting room suggests that they are going for more of “night-club” feel rather than a traditional sportsbook. The betting windows are located directly across from a bar and there are plenty of big screens to watch games.
In terms getting a hold of the stuff you can bet on, they have the standard daily sheets for each sport that is available to be bet on, so you can see what their opening lines were. I will dive into the lines in the next segment. The up to date lines can be seen on three large monitors on the left-hand side of the betting floor upon entry.
The issue I have with these screens though is that they are not big enough to display all games within a sport at once, so you have to wait for the screen to cycle to the next page to see the late games. However, they do supply you with those mini-sharpened pencils for you to take notes and circle off the codes of your bets. There is a food court outside by the off-track betting area, but because I was in hurry I didn’t venture to buy any snacks.
Betting Experience
I had mentioned that I will address the betting line vig in this segment so here goes. If you want to bet on baseball, they still have on average, a 25 to 35 cent vig, which compared an online book or even William Hill in Monmouth, is quite a rip-off. One thing I did notice with baseball as well is that, their totals all fell on a half run, which suggests that this place doesn’t not like to have pushes. My Angels-Padres over bet here was for 8.5 at +105, when I knew for a fact most books were offering the total at 8. From a betting angle I guess it provides for some middle opportunities in the future.
What I did notice though was the college football week one lines that were on their sheet all were pretty much within the 10-cent vig for the point spread. My guess is they are expecting more, or enough volumes on Saturday mornings to justify their idea of lowering the vig, compared a mostly light volume weekdays in baseball. Or they think the millions of FAU and ODU alumni will come out to support their teams.
As far as actually betting, there are also betting windows by the door where it is not quite as dark. Since I was on my way out, I decided to place my bets there. I asked the lady who took my bets if there was any rewards program, and she informed me that it will be available come September.
Final Thoughts
For serious bettors, I would be hesitant to come here just because of the extra vig in for baseball. In fact, I wouldn’t be going back here had the Angels and Padres stayed under 8.5 (yay for extra innings), but I must go back there to get my money. Also, because it’s in Jersey, please be aware of the tolls you will have to pay depending on which road you take. But, who I am kidding, if the college football lines are going to be fair, then this place has an advantage for me compared to Monmouth or Atlantic City since I live in New York City. A 45-minute drives sounds a lot more pleasant than a 90 minute to Monmouth or a 2 and a half hour drive Atlantic City. Speaking of Atlantic City, I did mention I will write a review on them and I will try to make a trip out there before the end of the month. Once again, thank you for reading and always remember to bet with your head, not with your heart.
