William Hill to open first sportsbook inside a US stadium in Washington

In a partnership announced Thursday, William Hill and Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns pro basketball and hockey teams in Washington D.C., said they would open a sportsbook inside Capital One Arena as soon as necessary approvals are obtained. It would be the US first on-premises sports betting facility inside an arena. No estimated opening date was given, but signs at the arena indicate a 2020 opening is contemplated.

William Hill also will become the exclusive sports betting partner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment. Fans will be able to place bets at the sportsbook inside the arena, and also use a mobile app to bet inside the arena.

"Monumental is dedicated to bringing the latest technology and innovation into our arena and delivering extraordinary experiences to our fans. We are excited to partner with William Hill, the industry leader in sports betting, to become the first professional sports arena in the U.S. to feature a sportsbook," said Ted Leonsis, chairman, founder, principal partner and CEO, Monumental Sports & Entertainment. "Through this partnership, we are thrilled to enhance the fan experience with innovative gaming opportunities and transformational dining and culinary options not just on event days, but year-round. Our partnership with William Hill compliments our vision of making our arena the premier sports and entertainment destination in Washington, D.C." 

"This sportsbook will be a flagship venue for the industry and will serve the sports fans of the Washington D.C. area unlike any other," said Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US. "Partnering with Ted Leonsis and the entire Monumental team was ideal. They share our vision and principles for bringing innovative sports betting opportunities to fans in a responsible way. This deal sets a new benchmark for how the industry will serve fans and how fans engage in sports."

Upon receipt of all required regulatory approvals, the sportsbook will be operated by William Hill, with a full-service food and beverage offering, complemented by all of the premium sports betting facilities that are synonymous with the brand. The book, which will span multiple floors, will be open daily, year-round, and accessible to the public from F Street. During game days and certain in-arena events, ticketed and non-ticketed fans will have access to the sportsbook, which will also be open on non-event days. 

Construction to transform the space into a sportsbook is expected to begin pending regulatory approvals. The sportsbook is expected to become a year-round hub of activity for sports fans in the Washington, D.C. area. Fans will have the opportunity to come together to watch games, even when they aren't live in the arena. For major events, there is the opportunity to turn the arena bowl into a 20,000-seat TV viewing area.

In a news conference Thursday at the Capital One Arena, Asher said the sportsbook should engage fans more directly in the game, citing a hockey match from the night before when the Capitals were down early in the game. “There would have been a lot of people betting on them to come back and win,” he said, as reported by the Associated Press. “And you get good odds when you’re betting on the team that’s behind to come back and win the game. So that just sort of drives further engagement. It gives people reason to watch more, to watch till the very end.”

It is not yet clear when Washington fans will be able to start placing wagers through a betting window. “I don’t really have a good feel for how long that might take,” Asher said. “You would bet on sometime in 2020. We’ll let the regulatory process play out.”

Thorny issues that process might raise include whether betting could continue during college games involving Georgetown, which also calls the arena home. The N.C.A.A. has been strongly against sports betting over the years, and has not softened its stance toward lawmakers to the same degree as the N.B.A. and the N.H.L. It is possible that the authorities will require the parlor to be shut during games, although Asher opposed that, calling it a “poor fan experience.”

The parlor would be “great for the arena, great for the league,” Leonsis said, The New York Times reports. He noted that he had visited William Hill parlors in Britain and “there’s nothing untoward or unfriendly about it.”

D.C. Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey S. DeWitt, who oversees city gambling, said last month that businesses would probably start offering legal sports betting by the end of the year and mobile wagers would be available by early 2020.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and William Hill partnership