As the NFL season begins Thursday night, Edmonton fans are excitedly preparing for the return of football.
Local bars are filling up fast as football fans book their spot to catch the action on the big screen.
“I’m excited, I’m excited that it’s back,” said Justin Hrdlicka, Arizona Cardinals fan. “I’m excited to get back into the bar scene, throw the game on, order some fries or whatever, have a good time around the boys. It’s going to be a good time.”
For sports bars, like Hudsons Canada’s pub on Whyte Ave., it’s like seeing rain after a lengthy drought.
“We had a pretty long summer after the Oilers went out, and I think everyone’s just really excited to get some football back,” said Connor Yakabuski, general manager of Hudsons Canada’s Pub on Whyte Ave. “We get people coming in jerseys, we put sound on for the games, we have this awesome big screen behind me that we can put four games on at the same time, so I’d say it adds a good 25 per cent to our sales every week on those days.”
Along with the new sports season, comes more sports betting. In Alberta, the province’s online gambling site, PlayAlberta has already seen more bettors playing the odds.
A spokesperson for the website told CityNews, the most popular bet is for the winner of the Superbowl in Feb., with most money going down on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks.
The return of the NFL is going to provide a big boost to sports bars in the city while Edmontonians await their home team Oilers back on the ice. The Oilers make their regular season debut on Oct. 8 at home facing the Calgary Flames.