Capital One Arena Will Soon Feature a Legit Sports Book
Speaking at the American Gaming Association Sports Betting Executive Summit, D.C. sports tycoon Ted Leonsis dropped a bomb regarding Capital One Arena. The venue, which hosts all Washington Wizards and Capitals home games, will soon feature a real-life sports book.
JUST IN: Washington Capitals & Wizards owner Ted Leonsis says Green Turtle bar inside Capital One Arena will turn into a sportsbook. Will be able to be entered from outside, on inside depending on sport. Will have operator that will create distance between team ownership. pic.twitter.com/4M6nE9vTEr
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 27, 2019
The proposed sports book will be in place of the Green Turtle bar, which, according to WTOP, will close after the final Wizards game on April 9th.
D.C. voted to legalize sports betting earlier this year, opening the door for guys like Leonsis who want to capitalize on gaming sooner rather than later. According to NBC4 Washington, the city hopes to have live sports betting by September “at privately operated venues like Capital One Arena and Nationals Park.”
A sports betting app by the D.C. Lottery is also in the works, though NBC4 Washington reported that it “will not happen until January at the earliest.”