OCEANPORT, N.J. — Ryan Daly stood about 75 feet from the wall of digital betting boards here at Monmouth Park, admiring what may have been an historic moment in the state’s minutes-old history of legalized sports betting.
“I think it’s pretty cool to be the first guy here ever to put $100 on the Browns to win the Super Bowl,” he said, noting that the surprisingly low 75-to-1 odds would net him a $7,500 payday in February. The Bengals (125-1) were the biggest long shot.
The betting lanes opened just after 10:30 at this racetrack 51 miles south of MetLife Stadium—one of two places in the state where gamblers can safely bet on just about anything, including the NFL, Canadian Football and PGA Tour golf.