Jul11
Washington Arena Becomes Pro Sports Facility with Betting Kiosk
October 9, 2019 Alex Hoffmann
Home to NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Capitals, the Capital One Arena, located in Washington D.C. is going to become the country’s first sports facility with a live betting kiosk.
Although it is too early to confirm the exact date when the Arena could open its first sportsbook, the officials, including Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports and two professional sports teams, said it could be sometime in 2020.
Joe Asher, chief executive at William Hill US, leading bookmaking company in the country, who just signed a sponsorship with NBA, added, that the regulatory process must first play out before Washington fans could start “pushing dollars through a betting window.”
Betting kiosks in stadiums are common all across Europe and as more states legalize sportsbooks as well as taking bets inside of the arena, it is quite possible that the authorities might soften their stance in the coming year.
Still, since the Capital One Arena is also home to Georgetown Hoyas and Washington Valor, it remains unclear whether NCAA and AFL would agree with this decision. According to Asher, one solution would be to close the parlor during games, which he described as “poor fan experience.”
However, thanks to modern technologies, fans could engage in sports betting via mobile apps, while remaining under location tracking to ensure that only the William Hill product is utilized on the premises.
Nothing Unfriendly About It
Although gambling divides the public and raises a fair share of questions in regards to professional sports leagues, Leonsis claims that the indoor sportsbook would be a great addition for all major competitions including NBA, NFL and NCAA.
He said that Hill parlors across Great Britain represent an incredible extension of the arena and claims that “there’s nothing untoward or unfriendly about it.”
Leonsis emphasized that sportsbooks in England are available on smartphones, at stadiums or floors, accessible with a single television remote control. Moreover, the Washington Arena would have an around-the-clock parlor that would also stay open after the games.
“It’s not like gambling isn’t happening in an unregulated world. There’s a lot of gambling today off the books, that’s not creating jobs,” added Leonsis.
At this point, only the Dover Downs in Delaware accepts bets on NASCAR since last year’s plan for the New Jersey Devils to open the first in-arena betting parlor went down in flames. The facility ended up offering Hill officials to help fans its app.
Lastly, the owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Ted Leonsis, has indicated that his company will only rent space to Hill and not share any profits from betting on sports:
“We will never touch the money. We will always be steps removed from the odds. We want to be indifferent with our teams and our coaches.”
Apart from the Arena, Monumental Sports also has a stake in Sportradar, the NBA’s official data distributor.
Source:
“Washington Arena to Offer Hockey, Hoops and Sports Betting”, Victor Mather, nytimes.com, October 3, 2019.
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The richest man in sports wants to revolutionize betting and become even richer. Nice try, but I don’t think it’s going to happen any time soon.