History was recently made when William Hill opened the first land-based retail sportsbook at a professional sports arena located in the United States. This took place in Our Nation’s Capital with the brand new betting venue at Capital One Arena.
Home to the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals, this arena is located in the heart of the District of Columbia. The state-of-the-art sportsbook covers more than 18,000 square feet of space with 17 betting windows and another 12 self-serve betting kiosks.
There is also an on-site restaurant featuring Chef Nicholas Stefanelli. The facility spans two floors of Capital Arena and it is equipped with Verizon 5G Wi-Fi to facilitate mobile betting throughout the arena with the use of the William Hill sportsbook app.
The grand opening on May 26 was truly a groundbreaking event. Cutting the ribbon to mark the opening, Eric Hession was in attendance as the co-president of Caesars Sports & Online Gaming. Caesars Entertainment acquired William Hill earlier this year. Caesars’ CEO Tom Reeg was also part of the celebration.
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William Hill formed a partnership in 2019 with Monumental Sports and Entertainment with the sole purpose of opening a marquee sports betting destination in Washington DC. As the title sponsor of the arena, the official title of this venture is the William Hill Sportsbook at Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s Capital One Arena.
Ted Leonis is the Founder and CEO of Monumental Spots & Entertainment. He was also part of the ribbon cutting ceremony. He made the following comments at the grand opening celebration:
“Monumental Sports & Entertainment is proud to have worked with William Hill and Caesars Entertainment, a proven leader and innovator in sports betting, to provide the preeminent fan experience and serve as exemplars to the industry as first-in-class and best-in-class.”
He went on the add:
“Providing a data-driven, technologically-advanced environment in a beautiful, approachable space with fine dining options provided by Chef Stefanelli will further enhance the indelible memories we create nightly at Capital One Arena and draw even more visitors to our historic downtown DC neighborhood.”
The centerpiece of the sportsbook is a jumbotron that hangs from the ceiling in the center of the venue. This piece replicates the big screen in the center of the arena itself. There are an additional 100 television screens scattered throughout the facility.
The book is also wrapped with a custom 1,500 square-foot LED screen that can broadcast multiple sporting events at the same time.
As an added amenity, there is an on-site broadcast studio that can be used to host live television and radio shows. VIPs have two distinct areas to enjoy the games along with a private space for dining and entertainment.
Sports have been intertwined into the design. The staircase railing incorporates baseball stitching. There are vintage lockers located in the bar area. Local sports memorabilia adorns the entire space and there are sketches of local attractions printed on the ceiling.
The sportsbook will remain open year-round with the main entrance located on F Street. Plans call for as many as 230 events annually with an expected attendance of more than three million visitors.
