MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS OPENING
THEIR DOORS TO FANS ONCE AGAIN.
STARTING TODAY THE PRUDENTIAL
CENTER IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY IS
APPROVED FOR 1 10% FAN CAPACITY.
FANS EAGER TO GET BACK IN THE
STANDS WILL FOLLOW STRICT NEW
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND TRY TO
OPEN.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW, FROM THE
PRUDENTIAL CENTER IS HARRIS
BLITZER, SPORTS AND
ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT AND NEW
JERSEY DEVILS AND PHILADELPHIA
76ER’S EXECUTIVE, HUGH WEBER.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
HEY, I LIKE THAT BANNER IN THE
BACKGROUND AT THE PRUDENTIAL
CENTER.
THANKS FOR HONORING "MORNINGS
WITH MARIA" WITH THAT BANNER.
>> I GOT TO ASK YOU, MARIA.
HOW MANY OF YOUR GUESTS COME TO
YOUR SHOW WITH THEIR OWN FOUR
STORY BILLBOARD.
I’VE GOT TO ASK.
IT’S GOT TO BE A FIRST, RIGHT?
F.
HILLARY:.[LAUGHTER]
MARIA: YOU’RE RIGHT.
YOU’VE GOT 10% CAPACITY.
THANK THE HEAVENS ABOVE THAT
YOU’RE ABLE TO OPEN ONCE AGAIN.
WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT WHEN
ATTENDING THE GAME?
>> IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE IT WAS A
YEAR AGO THIS WEEK THAT WE HAD
OUR LAST HOST OF FANS HERE AT
THE BUILDING.
IT’S BEEN A LONG YEAR, LONG
ANTICIPATED RETURN FOR FANS.
WE HAVE HAD PENT-UP DEMAND,
CALLING US WEEK AFTER WEEK, WHEN
CAN WE GET BACK.
WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS IN THE STATE AND CITY,
WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT IN THE
PROTOCOLS AND RIGOR TO MAKE SURE
THAT FANS WILL BE SAFE THROUGH
SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MASKING.
OBVIOUSLY WE’RE GOING TO HAVE
PODS OF FANS IN GROUPS OF TWO
AND FOUR THAT WILL BE ABLE TO
ENJOY THE GAMES.
WE HAVE THESE GAMES GOING ON
SALE FOR MARCH, SOLD OUT IN
HOURS.
AND AGAIN, SO THERE’S I THINK A
BRIGHT FUTURE FOR PEOPLE TO GET
BACK TO WHAT THEY THINK IS
NORMALCY AND WE HOPE THIS IS A
PATH TO WHERE WE’LL HAVE NOT
JUST 10 10%, BUT THIS WILL BE AB
TO GROW TO A PLAN WHERE WE’RE
ABLE TO BRING BACK 15, 20 AND
OBVIOUSLY A FULL BUILDING OVER
TIME.
MARIA: YEAH.
AND I THINK YOU MAKE SUCH AN
IMPORTANT POINT AND IT’S THE
RIGHT POINT.
OKAY, SO IT’S A PATH TO
NORMALCY.
YOU’VE GOT 10% CAPACITY.
HUGH, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET
THE PRUDENTIAL CENTER BACK TO A
POINT WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY
HAVE A PROFITABLE SITUATION
BEYOND JUST 10% CAPACITY?
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THAT TAKES
AND WHEN DO YOU EXPECT YOU
GETTING BACK TO NORMALIZATION
WHEN IT COMES TO PROFITS?
>> JUST LIKE ALL BUSINESSES THAT
HAVE BEEN I’M IMPACTED BY THE
CORONAVIRUS, I THINK THERE IS A
LOT OF CONTINGENCIES WE’VE HAD
TO WORK THROUGH.
OBVIOUSLY, HOW QUICKLY THE
VACCINES WILL COME ON THE
MARKET, THE ABILITY FOR US TO
HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF SHOWING
THAT FANS CAN GATHER IN PLACES
LIKE THIS, AND SAFELY DO SO.
WE’VE HAD ZERO INCIDENCES ACROSS
SPORTS WHERE FANS HAVE
CONTRACTED THE VIRUS THROUGH
ATTENDING AN EVENT.
SO I THINK THAT THOSE THINGS
WILL BUILD CONFIDENCE OVER TIME.
AS I SAID, I THINK THE
CONSUMERS, THE FANS THEMSELVES
ARE READY TO COME BACK.
THIS IS NOT A SITUATION WHERE
WE’RE SEEING THAT WE’RE PUTTING
THE OPPORTUNITY OUT THERE AND
THEY’RE NOT TAKING IT.
SO AGAIN, I THINK JUST CONTINUE
TO TRACK HOW THE UNITED STATES
IN GENERAL IS DOING IN TERMS OF
BEING ABLE TO BRING PEOPLE
SAFELY TOGETHER AND THEN YOU’LL
SEE SPORTS TAKE A LEADING ROLE
IN THAT.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 20 TEAMS IN
THE NHL THAT ARE HOSTING FANS AT
DIFFERENT LEVELS AND I THINK
YOU’RE GOING TO SEE HOPEFULLY IN
THE NEXT FEW MONTHS THAT
CONCERTS AND OTHER EVENTS WILL
COME BACK ONLINE.
MARIA: THAT IS VERY GOOD.
YOU’VE GOT ALL OF THE SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS IN PLACE AND THEN
YOU’VE GOT LOTS OF POSITIVES IN
THE MARKETPLACE.
NEW JERSEY PASSED NEVADA’S
YEARLY RECORD FOR SPORTS BETTING
HANDLE LAST MONTH, BETTERS IN
THE GARDEN STATE WAGERED
$6 BILLION IN 2020, NEVADA
BROUGHT IN 5.4 BILLION.
THE DEVILS PARTNERED WITH A
NUMBER OF MOBILE SPORTS BOOKS AS
WELL, INCLUDING KEY CAESARS AND
UNIBET.
HUGH, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THESE
THINGS?
GIVE US YOUR OUTLOOK FOR SPORTS
BETTING IN THE U.S. AND BEYOND
AMID THIS RECOVERY, THE COVID
RECOVERY.
>> YEAH, IT’S REALLY
FASCINATING TO SEE HOW SPORTS
AND BETTING HAVE BECOME PART OF
JUST THE EXPERIENCE, RIGHT.
SO IN 2018 WHEN NEW JERSEY WAS
THE FIRST STATE TO GO AHEAD AND
LEGALIZE SPORTS BETTING, THEY
DID SO ON A DIGITAL AND MOBILE
PATH AS OPPOSED TO BRICKS AND
MORE THEMORTAR.
I THINK IT WAS REALLY SMART.
THEY HAVE ALREADY SURPASSED
NEVADA WHICH IS A LONG MAINSTEY,
HAVING BEEN APPROVED FOR DECADES
OUT THERE.
TO BE ABLE TO DO $6 BILLION
RIGHT NOW, ON TRACK TO DO MORE,
SURPASSING LAS VEGAS.
THE DEVILS HAVE BEEN SEEN AS
KIND OF A -- BECAUSE OF NEW
JERSEY’S LEADERSHIP ROLE IN
SPORTS BETTING, THE DEVILS,
WHICH IS THE ONLY TEAM THAT
REPRESENTS NEW JERSEY IN NAME,
HAS BEEN REALLY A GREAT PLATFORM
FOR OUR PARTNERS AND SO WE’VE
SEEN OUR FANS ADOPT SPORTS
BETTING IN THE MOBILE USE OF
BEING ABLE TO PLACE BETS EVEN IN
THE ARENA DURING A GAME AS BEING
PART OF THE EXPERIENCE.
I THINK THAT’S GOING TO CONTINUE
TO GROW ESPECIALLY WITH YOUNGER
FANS AS THEY SEE SPORTS BETTING
AS JUST SOMETHING THEY DO AS
MUCH AS JUST WATCHING THE GAME
AND WATCHING STATISTICS.
MARIA: YEAH, AND HOW CAN YOU
ENABLE THAT FURTHER WITH
TECHNOLOGY, HUGH?
BECAUSE YOU’RE RIGHT, THIS IS A
WHOLE OTHER PATH FOR POTENTIAL
REVENUE, POINTING THE COMPANY
TOWARD FURTHER GROWTH.
HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANY SENSE FROM
CUSTOMERS IN TERMS OF HOW
SIGNIFICANT THAT PIECE OF
BUSINESS COULD BE?
>> YEAH.
SO I THINK, AGAIN, WE’RE JUST AT
THE VERY, VERY GROUND LEVEL OF
WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE HERE.
I THINK THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE
DEMOGRAPHICS ACROSS THE BOARD,
YOU’RE SEEING ADOPTION OF THESE
PLATFORMS.
THERE’S OVER 20 THAT ARE
APPROVED IN NEW YOU NEW JERSEY.
WE JUST HAVE THREE HERE.
WE PROMOTE THE EXPERIENCE IN THE
BUILDING.
WHEN YOU’RE HERE, YOU’RE DOING
YOUR SPORTS BETTING ON ONE OF
THE THREE PLATFORMS, PLAY HUB,
CAESARS OR UNI BET.
THEY’RE SEEING ADOPTION RATES
AND THE NEW CUSTOMERS THEY’RE
GETTING THROUGH THAT AS BEING
IMPORTANT.
SO I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO
CONTINUE TO SEE THOSE PLATFORMS
USE TEAMS HERE IN NEW JERSEY TO,
AGAIN, ADOPT NEW CUSTOMERS AND
MAKE THIS PART OF THE EXPERIENCE
OF ATTENDING A GAME.
MARIA: I MEAN, YOUNG PEOPLE
WANT TO SEE INTERACTIVITY AND
THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE OFFERING.
HUGH, WE’LL BE WATCHING YOUR
OPENING.
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT AND PLEASE
COME BACK SOON.
THANK YOU, SIR.
>> WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU
GUYS OUT HERE.
WE’LL HOLD A POD FOR YOU.
JUST COME ON OVER.
MARIA: OKAY.
OKAY.
>> THANK YOU.
MARIA: WE’LL BE IN TOUCH.