First official sportsbook in D.C. opened to the public at Capital One Arena

From last Friday, Capital One Arena in Washington, District of Columbia, is accepting sports wagers at its temporary new sportsbook, which has been converted from the venue’s box office area.

It is the first in the United States to be in a professional sports arena or stadium, DCIST reports. Masks and social distancing are required with the bookmaker saying they are following all CDC guidelines and the District’s Phase 2 regulations.

London-based bookmaker William Hill wanted to capitalize on the first weekend with most of the major sports back after their months-long COVID-related absence, so they set up a temporary sportsbook at Capital Arena’s box office. It has both walk-up windows with staffers on hand to take your bets and electronic kiosk betting available.

Later this year, a permanent sportsbook will open up in the arena in the former Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille space, which will replace the temporary set-up at the box office.

Monumental Sports, which owns the Wizards, Mystics, Capitals, and Capital One Arena, announced the partnership with William Hill last October that would make Capital One Arena the first professional sports arena in America to have a sportsbook.

"Ted Leonsis has been a big proponent of legalized sports wagering at the outset," says David Grolman, President of Operations at William Hill. He cited Leonsis as a major reason why the company chose to set up a first-of-its-kind sportsbook in the District. "As a sports team owner, [Leonsis] was an advocate… and has a real enthusiasm for sports betting."

Grolman also confirmed to DCist that the sportsbook received their Class A operation license (which runs for five years and requires the District to collect a 10% tax on revenue) on Friday.

With a full slate of sports happening over the weekend, the book quickly opened that afternoon.

In May 2018, the Supreme Court made a ruling that effectively struck down the decades-long federal ban on commercial sports betting. Later that year, the D.C. Council approved and Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a bill that allowed for legalized sports gambling in the District, despite concerns of corruption and where exactly the betting revenue was going to go towards.

It took nearly 18 months for legal sports betting to come to the District.

In May, the D.C. Lottery launched its sports betting app, GambetDC, but that didn’t go particularly smoothly with few sports to bet on at the time (darts, anyone?), the controversy over the site’s available odds, and issues with its interface.

The new sportsbook at Capital One Arena features four walk-up windows, 10 electronic kiosks, and updated digital odds boards above the box office windows.

Grolman understands it’s going to take time for both local betters and employees to completely understand the nuances of live sports betting, that’s why they decided to do a “soft opening” on Friday.

“It’s like what you would do at a restaurant when you only invite friends and family for a soft opening,” says Grolman. “You can train all day but until you have people standing in front of you asking for a ‘team round-robin’, you can’t really know what to expect.”

While William Hill wouldn’t share the number of bets they’ve taken so far, Grolman said Saturday was a pretty good day with a decent amount of folks stopping by and making bets.

While complications related to the coronavirus pandemic having delayed the building out of a Las Vegas-style sportsbook in the former location of Greene Turtle, Grolman remains optimistic it will open later this year.

“We’d love to be open in November, but obviously with the COVID restrictions, things can get delayed,” Grolman says.

When it does open, he says, it will be completely unrecognizable from its previous occupants with screens, giant odds boards and betting kiosks on two floors.

In the coming years, they are plans for more betting to come to D.C. sporting venues. D.C. United and Caesars Entertainment were on the verge of partnering for a sportsbook at Audi Field in November but that deal has yet to be struck. A 35,000 square foot entertainment venue is also slated for Nationals Park that could have a sportsbook as well, but no immediate plans have been announced.

In the meantime, D.C. sports fans who want to bet on the Nationals, Wizards, Mystics, and Capitals now have a place to go.

“Everybody wants to see how the first does,” says Grolman. “All eyes [in the sports betting community] are on us… and the District.”