PIGSKIN AND PONY PICKIN'!

Delaware Park: Bet on Horses, NFL, Casino or just watch'm run!



Another cool thing about living near Philly is we are less than an hour from the only Legal NFL Betting parlours on the East Coast. Delaware Park (map) , just beyond Newark, is less than an hour down 95 from Center City. With quite a few attractive match-ups on the week 2 nfl schedule, The Davids and I piled into the Jetta on a Saturday evening with high hopes for Pigskin and Pony Prognosticating.

A few miles from the Park and stomach's growling, we couldn't resist the huge neon sign beckoning us to: EAT. If you go, you'll see the sign too and I recommend you take the invitation to strap on the feed-bag and partake of the incredibly affordable and quite delicious victuals at this airy Mexican margarita zone packed with locals.

Just up the road is Delaware Park with plentiful free parking. We eschewed the Casino with slot and table games and hoofed it back to the Horse Racing and NFL betting. The huge, well-lit hall was a twitter with televisions displaying opportunities for some off-track betting. Unfortunately, we arrived shortly after the last live race at the beautiful track just outside the parlour, but the live, beamed-in races offered boundless opportunities to place our first horse-racing bets.

We put down 2 bucks on 3 horses about to race on a muddy track in San Antonio. We had no expertise or strategy other than picking the favourite and two long-shots, but Lo and Behold our 25-1 long-shot won a thrilling race by a nose and paid $54 bucks on a $2 bet.

Woo-hoo! Beginners' luck! We counted our blessings, cashed the ticket, and used the winning to place several different bets on Sunday's NFL games. The Delaware gambling law says you cannot bet on just one individual game. Each bet is based on selecting 3 or more winning teams. The more winners you include in your bet, the more cash you win should all your teams prevail.

We decided to place 3 different bets - each for 20 bucks - and each with a payout of $130. BET A failed miserably as Cowpokes were upset by Bears and Birds couldn't cover vs. Lions.  Bet B was atrocious as home faves Titans and Vikings lost outright. Bet C was looking good as Chargers and Colts both covered, but the Saints failed to beat the 5.5 point spread Monday nite and once again, we lost.

Doh! Never-the-mind anyhows. Between the cheap margaritas/enchiladas at "EAT:,  as well as the excitement of cheering for our Horse and NFL teams on Sunday, the whole deal was worth the trip. This week we'll head down earlier on Saturday and catch the live horse races which run from about 1pm-5pm.
At two bucks a bet its a great entertainment value at a fine facility on a lovely afternoon. And Ive got to try one of those Superfectas which can pay 20,000 on a $2 bet.

Disclaimer: If you've got a gambling problem or suspect a predilection to such an ailment do not get anywhere near Delaware Park. But if you don't, the 50-minute drive is hopefully enough of a deterrent to keep from developing a habit. Enjoy!