The oddsmakers are betting against Newark in the final round of the 20-city contest to win Amazon's new, second headquarters. But business experts and Newark boosters who have liked the city's chances since the beginning believe Brick City still has a shot at taking home the Amazon prize.

The same assets that landed Newark on the finalist list — its proximity to Manhattan, at a lower cost; its location in a transportation hub, with an international airport, a major port, trains, subways and highways nearby; its advanced fiber-optic network; and colleges in New York and New Jersey that can supply a ready talent pool — are still in place, along with a new consideration that one expert believes will work in the city's favor.

Betting on D.C.

With Amazon promising to announce its decision by the end of this year, the Washington, D.C., metro area, including Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, is the current favorite bet among Amazon watchers and Las Vegas bookies to land the new headquarters. Two other contenders, Chicago and Miami, reportedly have been given a second look by Amazon's headquarters search team, fueling speculation that one of them could be the winning city.

But Newark's underdog status could work to its advantage.

"There's a lot of new momentum working in Newark's favor, and it has to do with this idea of social impact," said John Boyd Jr., a principal in The Boyd Company, Inc, a Princeton-based corporate site selection consulting firm.

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Research firm Just Capital,in a report last week, noted that picking Newark would boost Amazon's social responsibility ranking — something the e-commerce giant will weigh heavily in making its choice,Boyd said.

Investing in society

"Two out of three institutional investors prefer to invest in stocks that have a positive and a strong social justice ranking," Boyd said.

"I think the likelihood of a Newark decision is much greater today than it was a year ago," he said.

"Do I still like Newark's chances? I absolutely do," said Paula Rosenblum, managing partner of RSR Research, a retail consulting firm, and a leading expert on retail technology. Rosenblum predicted in October 2017 that Newark had a shot — when there were still 238 cities in the running and three months before Amazon narrowed the field to the 20 finalists.

Rosenblum doesn't think the social responsibility argument will be a deciding factor. The more important factors, she said, will be how much money in tax incentives New Jersey and Newark promise to Amazon, as well as the airport and transportation options and the talent pool.

Amazon is keeping a tight cone of silence over its headquarters deliberations, other than to say it will be decided by the end of 2018.

The company has pledged to bring 50,000 jobs and at least $5 billion in capital spending and investment to the winning city. Newark and New Jersey have offered $7 billion in tax breaks to entice Amazon.

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Las Vegas bookies, tech analysts and location ranking sites currently favor the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to win the headquarters site.

The D.C. metro area lands on a lot of "most likely to get Amazon" lists because Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, has a home in Washington. It also would give Amazon a base of operations near U.S. lawmakers and lobbyists, and near the Pentagon. Amazon is among the tech firms bidding on a multibillion-dollar contract for the Department of Defense's cloud computing and data storage needs.

South American asset

Miami could win if Amazon decides its top priority is easy access to Latin America, Boyd and Rosenblum said. "It's the gateway to South America," Rosenblum said. Florida also has an advantage, she said, because of the state's corporate tax policies.

Amazon has been expanding delivery options in South America and recently launched a pilot logistics project in Brazil.

On the other hand, a headquarters in Newark would put Amazon close to the financial and media center of the country, and also give it an East Coast base with quicker access to European markets.

Some of the headquarters predictions may be overlooking Newark because they don't include the advantages of being so close to New York City, said Aisha Glover, president and chief executive of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation.

"They put Newark in a bit of a bubble, rather than looking at us as part of the New York City metropolitan area," she said.

Being in the New York metro area, Boyd said, means access to skilled workers across a variety of fields.

"Amazon is expanding beyond traditional e-commerce into industries like multimedia and health care, and the food and beverage industry," Boyd said. "Few labor markets in North America have the type of skill sets in those industries that Newark, New Jersey, has today."

The five D's

Newark, in its proposal to Amazon, summed up what it has to offer by listing its five biggest advantages, all beginning with D: Data infrastructure — faster internet speeds and more bandwidth than the other contenders; Destination — roads, rails, airports and a major port, and easy access to New York City and all of the East Coast; Diversity — large African-American and Hispanic populations; and Development opportunities — land available with riverfront and park views.

But most of their bid was pinned to the fifth D: Destiny.

"Newark provides Amazon with an opportunity to take a leading role in the ongoing renaissance of a great American city," its proposal stated.

Boyd thinks that argument could be the deal-maker.

"The social impact narrative is one that publicly traded companies are increasingly paying attention to," he said. "Newark's brand has never been stronger."

Win or lose, Newark will come out a winner from making it to the final-20 list, Boyd said.

"In recent months in particular we've never seen more focus, more interest, in Newark," he said. "And we're going to see that continue now."