Capital One Arena in D.C Will Be the First Stadium to Offer Sports Betting in the US

Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena will be the first pro sports team facility in the U.S. to offer sports betting. While betting kiosks are popular in stadiums in other countries, there have been none — until now — in the U.S. The main reason for this was the Supreme Court ruling that prohibited sports betting. However, that ruling was overturned in May of 2018, and since then numerous states have passed bills legalizing sports betting. Until now, the betting has been taking place at land-based casinos or on mobile. Capital One Arena will be the first sports venue to allow betting on the premises.

A Promising Partnership

The betting at Capital One Arena will be made possible by a new partnership between Monumental Sports, the owner of Capital One, and the British betting giant William Hill. William Hill will operate the sportsbook from a parlor in the arena. “We rent to McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts and now William Hill,” commented Ted Leonsis, the chief executive of Monumental Sports.

The model will be based on any number of William Hill parlors located in England, which Leonsis likened to Starbucks. “It’s everywhere,’ he said, “I would walk in and see young people, business people, mothers, sports fanatics and soccer fanatics.”

The Capital One betting parlor will span several floors and feature full-service food and beverages. It will be open daily, not just during games, so fans on the West Coast can place bets, and there will also be an app. Betting will include a wide range of sports, including cricket, soccer, and perhaps even in-game betting.

When Can Fans Start Betting?

There’s no clear timeline as to when bettors can start placing bets, though Joe Asher, the chief executive of William Hill U.S. said that it will undoubtedly be sometime in 2020.