For FIFA World Cup, New Jersey encourages towns to extend alcohol sales at bars, restaurants

New Jersey is trying to help bars and restaurants cash in on the FIFA World Cup by letting them sell more alcohol throughout the tournament. 

Over a pint of Guinness at Mulligan's Pub in Hoboken, Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Monday signed a proclamation encouraging municipalities to temporarily extend alcohol sales during matches.

"This is the first time I've signed a proclamation in a bar," said Sherrill. 

What could change?

The goal is to convince local leaders to let bars and restaurants open earlier or stay open later to align with the World Cup schedule across time zones. 

Changes would vary from town to town, since the proclamation does not mandate any changes to local rules. It simply gives the option to adjust them during the 39-day event.

"It's allowing businesses to really get some good economic impact from the World Cup," said Sherrill. 

Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour said she's open to the idea. 

"I think we'll be taking this into consideration as a great option for us," Jabbour said. "We've been actively working with our public safety departments to make sure that all of the logistics around World Cup are coordinated appropriately." 

Bar owner expects big crowds

Mulligan's Pub owner Louis Jannuzzi said the business is expecting big crowds during the tournament. 

"We're expecting a lot of people to show up, but we're going to make it the best place to go watch a game, other than going to the game itself I suppose," Jannuzzi said. 

Extended hours could be mean even bigger business for Mulligan's and bars across the state.