By R.V. Baugus
Last year Venue Professional magazine included a feature article on Capital One Arena becoming the first U.S. public assembly venue to offer sports betting. Since then, others have joined the game.
Now, Caesars Entertainment has announced plans to expand its sportsbook at Capital One Arena, 
home of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the NBA’s Washington Wizards.
The William Hill sportsbook opened in May last year, becoming the first sports betting venue to open within a US professional sports facility. William Hill is part of Caesars Entertainment and holds a partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the arena.
The 18,000-square-foot retail sportsbook features 17 betting windows and 12 self-service betting kiosks. Following the expansion, it will feature an additional 700 square feet of betting space and 13 additional self-service sports betting kiosks, as well as a brand-new entrance leading directly to the concourse of the arena and a new culinary offering.
The sportsbook will also introduce celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s first full-service restaurant to Washington DC. The kitchen and bar space will feature scratch-made food, signature and classic drinks, and a large selection of beer and wine.
The two-story sportsbook facility features Verizon 5G Wi-Fi capability to allow fans to place bets on mobile devices.
The sportsbook also features more than 100 television screens, including four positioned on all sides of a jumbotron that hangs from the ceiling in the center of the venue that is a replica of the one inside the arena itself. A custom, 1,500-square-foot LED screen wraps the entire facility and shows multiple games across various sports simultaneously.
Additionally, the sportsbook features a broadcast studio that is used to host live television and radio shows, as well as two VIP areas and a private dining and entertainment space. The design of the space pays homage to the history of sports and local teams.
Last month, Caesars Entertainment officially opened its new sportsbook facility at Chase Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to Caesars, the 22,300-square-foot entertainment destination is the largest freestanding sportsbook in Arizona and the largest retail sportsbook to open in partnership with a major sports stadium nationwide. The space also includes a kitchen and bar space from Fieri.
Caesars has partnerships with the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, as well as several individual teams.
