As Eagles preseason opens, Parx Casino to match bets for early birds at new sportsbook
Parx Sportsbook patrons may be at risk of whiplash: They can watch up to 36 live games at the same time on a 156-foot-wide media wall.
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Just in time for the Eagles preseason, Parx Casino in Bensalem will open its new, $10 million sports-betting venue on Thursday, a major investment in a bricks-and-mortar business that some gambling experts believe may thrive mostly online.
The casino plans to cut the ribbon on its new venue at 3 p.m. Thursday and open doors at 5 p.m., a few hours before the Eagles begin their first NFL preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. As an inducement to draw a crowd, the casino is offering to match up to $25 to the first 1,000 people to come through the doors and fund their online sports betting accounts.
Parx has invested heavily into the venue, creating a 7,400-square-foot theater with a 156-foot HD media wall that can show up to 36 games simultaneously. It hopes the sportsbook will attract fans to spend many hours watching events, wagering, eating, drinking and perhaps also parting with their money at the casino’s slot machines or table games.
For casino operators, investing heavily in a physical sportsbook is a gamble on attracting a newer, younger clientele to the gaming halls. New Jersey launched legalized sports betting several months ahead of Pennsylvania, and already more than 80 percent of the wagers are placed online from anywhere in the state, not just from within a casino.