BENSALEM, Pa. – There’s something unique about the grand opening of a multi-million-dollar sportsbook. Maybe it’s the growing acceptance around the country of sports gambling, the increased amount of states that are legalizing it, or simply the $1.5 million dollars in TV screens.

Walking inside the brand-new sportsbook at Parx Casino, you simply feel at home. It’s the same feeling a grade schooler gets when a new candy store opens, except no candy store puts $15 million into a new store. Where to begin!

The area has seen tremendous growth in both local and online sports gambling. With Parx being so close to NJ, and the No. 1 casino in PA, there was mounting pressure on the casino to deliver a top-notch sportsbook.

“We think this can compete with any book in Vegas, around the country,” As Parx VP of Group Finance and CFO Bryan Bartlett told Bookies.com.

He’s right. The first thing that catches your eye when you walk in is the gigantic wrap-around TV screen. It reminds you of the tickers you see across Times Square in NYC. You notice how many different games can be run at a time on this massive screen. “We can run up to 36 different games” Bartlett said.

More than Big Screens

This is the second major sportsbook to “open” (Parx had a temp book that rivaled SugarHouse Casino) this year. The benefit Parx had was waiting to see what the other place put out, and simply tried to do it better. Unlike their main competition, Parx Casino’s new sportsbook does not sit in the center of Philadelphia. It’s a 15-minute drive from downtown.

The casino has fully integrated itself in the Bensalem community, becoming the top attraction in Northeast Philadelphia. There’s a reason the casino was the No.-1 rated in the state before the book even opened.

In addition to the new sportsbook, there is a huge beer garden attached to it. Plenty of patrons have the option of placing bets and moving next door to a beautiful beer garden, with a food menu and two gigantic big screen TVs.

They upgraded the food offerings – trust me I ate everything in sight at the opening – but you still have the options of walking the floor and sampling current restaurants. You can plop down on one seat at the sportsbook and comfortably watch 11 straight hours of football, or place an online bet before you even get there, and spend the afternoon taking in all the attractions.

Community Involvement

The biggest takeaway outside of the breathtaking TV screen at the new sportsbook is how much local support the casino gets. You can see the positive impact the growth of Parx Casino is having around the area. With more people expected to file in with this new book, you can expect continued growth of local business and even tourism.

There are plans in the works to build an adjacent hotel, something that both Philadelphia-based casinos currently lack. The good news is you don’t need to wait for anything to enjoy this massive new book. The seats were as comfortable as any reclining chair at these new movie theaters, plus there’s some VIP couches right in the middle of the book for optimal viewing.

You can already see the buzz from people on social media simply reacting to pics and video of the big screen. Philadelphia, AC, even Vegas was missing something like this.