With the installation of a temporary sports book in the ticket lobby and new renovations for a larger sports-book space for Capital One Arena gambling, Monumental Sports and Entertainment is rapidly turning to betting as a major offering for Wizards, Capitals and Mystics games.
Monumental Sports has partnered with William Hill US on the Capital One Arena gambling plan. William Hill US is no stranger to relationships with arena-based teams, with deals in place with the Vegas Golden Knights, the NBA, and Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils, among others.
The temporary space, featuring seven ticket windows and 10 kiosks, is located in the Capital One Arena ticket office. It’s billed as the first sports book within a U.S. sports complex, and yes, it is already taking action.
“Washington, D.C. is known for its dedicated sports fans, and we’re excited to finally bring them a new way to engage with their favorite teams. Being the first to open a retail location in a professional sports venue wouldn’t be possible without our relationship with Ted Leonsis and his team at Monumental,” said Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US. “Our teams are working hard to finalize the permanent sports book, restaurant and bar concept we originally envisioned inside the arena.”
As noted, this is a temporary space, and construction has begun on the permanent sports book within the former Greene Turtle space at the arena. The space is expected to open in the fall of 2020, pending regulatory approval. Technically, it’s within the arena and can provide access to the arena for specific events, but it is also envisioned as a standalone offering separate from arena events. From WTOP:
“We think it’s going to be world class,” said Jim Van Stone, president of business operations for Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns Capital One Arena.
“The building is only open a couple of hours a day. We think this brings so many more people to the complex. We’re doing 3 million people a year through the turnstiles, and 15 million people walk the neighborhood from a visiting standpoint. We think we might have the ability to bring 500,000 to 750,000 people annually to the Capital One Arena complex.”
For the betting sports fan, Van Stone said he expects more electronic screens than any other sportsbook in the country, “screens all over the facility, both on the first floor and the second floor.”
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