Already established as one of the most pro-gambling members of the NBA board of governors, Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis now wants to pioneer having a gambling parlor in his team’s home venue.
“I see our arenas like pop-up casinos,” said Leonsis, outside the annual Tech Summit at this month’s NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte. “We’re going to try and be the first arena with an exemplar sports book with a partner. We’ll work with them to build the sports book of the future.”
Leonsis
Asked for a timetable, Leonsis said this summer, “but if we’re good, we’d have some kind of gaming [in-arena] by the playoffs.”
Leonsis continued, “Our venues are closed most of the time. We lock our fans out until 6 p.m. and then the game ends and we hustle them out. We’d like to get more of them there most of the day, when we’re playing.”
Leonsis envisions a gaming venue inside Capital One Arena where fans can learn and understand gaming opportunities and bet on NBA games, likening his vision to a Genius Bar in an Apple store.
Making this possible is the D.C. City Council’s decision to allow sports gambling in the district, under the control of the D.C. Lottery. Beyond the “pop-up” casino in the Wizards’ arena, the team this season has tested a system on local game broadcasts that allows fans to take part in sweepstakes, which serves as a test for one day being able to watch and make bets during games.
For companies like Sportradar, which supplies betting data globally and has a deal with the NBA and other leagues, Leonsis’ new effort points to the burgeoning fan engagement opportunities related to sports betting.
“The way betting now meshes with media and entertainment is unique and what is really interesting is talking about ways for fan engagement,” said David Lampitt, managing director of group operations for Sportradar. “Speed, quality and accuracy are the watchwords. It is why we are working with the leagues. Everything is built around the data. The next development is how the markets develop from a consumer perspective.”
