Caesars-owned William Hill officially opened the first sportsbook at a United States sporting venue Wednesday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
William Hill has been taking wagers at Capital One Arena since last August, setting up a temporary location near the will call ticket area. Now, bettors will be able to make their picks in a two-story, 18,000-square-foot venue dedicated to sports betting, complete with 17 windows and 12 self-serve kiosks at the 20,356-seat arena.
The sportsbook also has 5G for Wi-Fi purposes and a sports bar with a menu crafted by Michelin-starred chef and Maryland native Nicholas Stefanelli. It has 100 television screens, including four hanging from a replica of the Jumbotron in the arena, as well as a 1,500-foot LED screen.
“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,” said Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder & CEO Ted Leonsis, whose group owns the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards, and WNBA’s Washington Mystics.
“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 D.C. neighborhood.”
The sportsbook, which will be open year-round even when teams are not playing, also has broadcast studios for TV and radio.
William Hill presses advantage as D.C.’s top sportsbook
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The @WilliamHillUS Sportsbook at @MSE's @CapitalOneArena is here!
This marks the 1st ever sports betting venue to operate within a pro sports arena in the U.S. with a restaurant concept by Michelin-star Chef Nicholas Stefanelli. pic.twitter.com/v5YDujXfVR
— William Hill D.C. (@WilliamHillDC) May 26, 2021
Since entering the nation’s capital, William Hill has largely outperformed GambetDC, run by the DC Lottery as the only other competitor in the marketplace. William Hill has accepted nearly $103 million in wagers in Washington, accounting for 74.8% of the $137.6 million in overall handle since Gambet DC was first to market in the district in May 2020.
William Hill also has generated $15.4 million in revenue, which is 71.2% of the more than $21.6 million the two books have generated. In April, William Hill accounted for more than $8 million of the $10.7 million in handle and nearly $1.56 million of the $2.09 million in revenue generated.
Capital One Arena has also proven its worth in terms of clientele — the average wager placed through William Hill has been $93.80 on nearly 1.1 million bets compared to $33.80 for the slightly more than one million bets placed via Gambet DC.
William Hill has accounted for just shy of 52% of the tickets written in the D.C. market since its launch, and the average wager of the more than 2.1 million bets placed through both outfits in that span is $64.82.
